Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 16:26:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Seth Lowe <SLowe00@go.com>
Subject: One Spring Day
This story is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents,
dialogue, and plot are the products of the author's imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely
coincidental.
One Spring Day
1 - March
The sudden gust of howling wind convinced me. I had acted on a bad
idea. But all the same, it had already happened, so I was forced to wait
for the result of a plan I'd already realized wasn't going to play out as I
hoped.
A woman in her mid-thirties opened the door, ending the
overwhelming suspense. I put on my best smile and politely greeted her.
"Hi. Is Colby home by chance?"
She smiled lightly and shook her head. "Not at the moment. He's
at a friend's. Should I tell him you came? I don't think we've met."
"No, we haven't. I'm Billy. My house is just a few down from
here," I said, pointing towards the direction. "Just tell him I came by."
Her smile frozen, she nodded. "I'll tell him," she said and shut
the door. I breathed in a sigh of relief. Why had I even bothered coming
over here in the first place? I fully expected her to forget I'd ever
dropped by, entering her world as nothing but an insignificant and brief
distraction that she'd conveniently rid her memory of.
My thoughts drew a real smile on my face as I slowly made my way
back to my house. Actually, she had seemed sincere enough, but I knew not
to expect anything.
Then my thoughts drifted back to what they'd been stuck on for
days: Colby. The seventh grade basketball hero that had recently been on a
lot of minds other than my own.
I could still remember the day less than a month ago he had put on
a show for everyone that cared to attend the seventh grade's basketball
games. I hadn't had a choice, being on the eighth grade basketball team,
but to see his work of art.
Only lately had the talk started to simmer about how he broke the
school's long-standing record for points in a single game. All the while
I'd been watching with my mouth open, first at the beauty of him, and then
at the beauty of his game.
He'd caught my eye long before I saw the frightening amount of
talent he had, long before I saw the stunning grace he moved with on the
court. I'd thought it over so many times, my depiction of him was
rehearsed and almost ridiculously detailed.
His height couldn't have exceeded 5'5" or 5'6", and if his weight
was more than 110 pounds, it would come as a surprise to me. His dark
blond hair, cut short and styled somewhat up, was a perfect match with eyes
even my vivid description of him could only call 'bluish green'.
But the all too brief encounters with him were enough to drive me
crazy. I rarely got a chance to speak with him, and I was getting
impatient playing the nonchalant role of being a mere acquaintance.
Apparently my hints were too subtle, my desire to be around him too
well concealed behind the careless jokes we so seldom had a chance to share
with each other.
I felt immense happiness when we did get the chance, usually in the
locker room prior to or following a practice scheduled for both grades.
With a sigh, I opened the door to my house and stepped inside,
knowing I'd be alone for a few more hours still. Basketball season had
ended last month, so now our contact was more than likely going to diminish
into nothing. I had thought it was worth taking the risk, that maybe I'd
get lucky and somehow find a way to invite him over without seeming overly
zealous. So now I'd at least attempted to contact him, and there was
nothing I could do but hope his mom had a memory as long lasting as her
smile.
Spring was working at full effect when I started the walk up my
driveway after school. The day I had swallowed my fear and gone over to
Colby's house was now nearing an ancient total of 24 hours ago. The air
seemed clear, the temperature must have been in the upper 60's, and the day
in general had me in a good mood.
In fact, my mind wasn't even on Colby until I heard the distinct
sound of his voice in the distance behind me. I turned around to face him
and motioned for him to catch up to me. He was right behind me as I
fumbled with the house key, starting to unlock the door.
"Hey," he greeted me with only a slight sound of fatigue in his
voice. He'd had to do a lot more running than that in his average day on
the basketball court. "My mom told me you came by yesterday."
I didn't acknowledge him immediately, and he followed me up to the
door. "Did you?" He looked a little embarrassed. "She's always trying to
set me up with people, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't actually
come over."
His voice was working the usual magic on me. I had still failed to
find anything that would take away from him being perfect. And I had been
searching pretty hard. "Actually," I said, signaling for him to come in,
"I did stop by yesterday." Trying to maintain my casual demeanor, I told
him as close to the truth as possible. "I keep on thinking about that game
you had. Ever since then I've been wondering what kind of a challenge you
can give me," I finished with a grin. So far things had gone perfectly,
and I was satisfied that my reason for wanting to see him sounded genuine.
I knew he couldn't resist an offer like that. The look on his face
told me his answer even before he spoke. But I guess I was studying his
face pretty closely. "You wanna play on my goal?" he asked. I only
laughed in response and took him out back. I was pretty sure he'd
appreciate the built in cement basketball court out there.
"What the hell was that? Don't insult me. You take a shot like
that and I'll swat it all day," I yelled with feigned anger, smiling as
sweat continued to soak through my shirt. Colby had done away with his
shirt long before, but I was staying modest.
He laughed at my attempt to belittle his game and retrieved the
ball, promptly blowing by me and laying it in softly. "What's that?" he
seemed to sing in that divine voice of his. I shrugged. "I stopped
keeping track. What's the use? I figure I'm beating you so badly it would
just embarrass you if I reminded you of the margin."
Again he laughed. If it meant hearing his laughter, I'd be content
with making jokes all day. "Actually, I think we're about even. You ready
to take a break? I'm getting a little thirsty." "Yeah, that's probably
enough competition for one day. We can go inside and get a drink, seeing
as I'm a good host."
Inside, I handed him his drink and joined him at the table. "Not
bad. That performance in the tournament wasn't a fluke." A look of pride
crossed his face, and he smiled. "You mean you thought it was?" I
returned the smile. "No, I was just curious how tough you'd be one-on-one.
And I'm impressed. You're planning on trying out next year, right?"
He nodded and suddenly seemed to remember something. I realized he
was looking at the clock. "Hey, I have to go. My mom wanted me back by
5:30. I'll see you later, okay?" He grabbed his shirt and started heading
towards the door.
"Okay. Later," I responded, hoping this wouldn't be his last
visit. Thankfully, he must have had similar thoughts on his mind. He
turned just before he was almost out the door.
"Want me to come by again tomorrow?" he asked in an almost small
voice. I was incredibly relieved, but I hid it pretty well.
Simply shrugging, I answered, "Sure. Come over anytime." He
nodded in response, and with a wave, disappeared.
If the previous day's weather had enlightened me, the current
weather was enough to put even the most optimistic person in a coma. The
electricity had gone out in the middle of the night, and the stormy
conditions hadn't ceased even as school let up that day. I tried not to
think bitter thoughts as I let myself in, throwing my soaked backpack to
the side and shaking myself of the wetness walking home in the pouring rain
had pleasured me with. My parents had a tight working schedule that ruled
out the possibility of picking me up, so I was to walk home, no matter how
treacherous the merciless weather got.
Thankfully, the incessant rain and the ugliness of the day couldn't
dampen my spirits. They were still soaring from spending a few precious
hours with Colby. I was one of those people who analyzed things way too
much, so I'd been reliving our time together the moment it ended, and in
all that time a lot of realizations hit me.
I knew how fortunate I was to be included in such a phenomenal
boy's day. And barring a bad case of forgetfulness, I'd get a few hours to
spend with him today as well.
As I happily removed my now soggy shoes, the doorbell rang. So
much for the possibility of him forgetting. He was as efficient as he was
gorgeous. Still in search of that one minor flaw that might make him
human.
On site of him, I had to take a deep breath. It literally stunned
me every time I came close to him. Not to mention the fact that he looked
rather appealing soaked.
He gladly came inside, out of the rain, taking off his shoes and
leaving them on the entrance rug. "Nice day, huh?" he said with a serious
yet sarcastic tone I thought only I could create.
"Lovely," I answered as we each took a seat in the living room.
"Guess we'll have to cancel our highly competitive basketball game today."
I sourly observed the ominously dark clouds, thinking spring was about as
consistent as a boy's changing voice.
Colby smiled. "Don't you know rain only adds more of a challenge
to the game?" He said in his very sweet and smooth voice, so unlike the
season. With that, he stood up, discarded his shirt, and grabbed the
basketball that was laying innocently where it had been left yesterday. He
looked at me and grinned. "It'll only be an obstacle in the rain," he
added, as if he needed an excuse to not wear a shirt.
I followed suit, deciding to show off my body as well. He had it
coming, the way he was flaunting himself to me. We went out to the
backyard court, both of us now excited about a wild and wet, yet still
ambitious game of basketball.
We were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls after several active
minutes of some form of basketball. The ball was slipping out of our hands
constantly, both of us were shivering and drenched, but it was the most fun
I'd had in a long time.
I collapsed on the ground after having my footing slip out from
under me one too many times, completely exhausted and experiencing fits of
laughter.
Colby would have played all day. His energy literally didn't end.
When I found the stamina, I got up and dragged him inside.
"I should probably go home and get changed," he said with a
mischievous grin glued on his face.
I had immediately sprawled on the first piece of furniture I saw
when I got inside. He stood in the middle of the room, hugging his bare
chest, his teeth chattering a bit.
"That's probably the first logical thing you've said all day," I
responded with more than a little fatigue in my voice. "You're crazy, you
know that?"
He smiled at me and headed for the door. "I get that a lot," he
commented, pausing to scoop up his shoes and shirt. "See you around
Billy."
Then he was gone. I thought back to our time together. The one of
a kind personality. The perfect humor he used without warning, somewhat
similar to mine. The confidence he had in himself, confidence that walked
the thin line of falling into the arrogance category.
He amazed me. I remembered the way he looked when raindrops were
coming off him, magnifying his attractiveness.
I now had no doubt that my feelings for him were very serious and
real. And all my high expectations of him were met.
My mind went back to a mere two days ago, when I seemingly made a
desperate but bold move to initiate contact. My plan appeared to be
working, and Colby was a part of my life. Now what?
2 - April
I pulled down a hard earned defensive rebound and spun around,
scanning for a fast break. Colby was already at half court, sprinting at
top speed as his man struggled to catch him. Summoning up all my strength,
I brought my arm back and fired a long pass that hit its mark.
In one swift motion, Colby caught the ball with the gracefulness of
a wide receiver, dribbled it behind his back for show, and laid it in. He
pointed at me to thank me for the pass, and then got back to work on
pressuring his man as he tried to get the ball up the court.
He didn't see another player from the opposing team sneak up behind
him and set, and as Colby continued to apply pressure, he ran into the
player, and caught an elbow to his throat.
After a few moments of being stunned, anger suddenly flashed in his
eyes, and he lunged in the direction of the player who had dealt him the
blow.
Almost on instinct, I moved to get in the center of the fight that
would be breaking out, but the other guys were closer, and pulled them
apart.
I could tell he hadn't released all of his rage, but he didn't try
to resume the fight. His eyes quickly examined the people on the court
around him, the players frozen and unsure of what was going to happen next.
He met my eyes, held the gaze for a few seconds, then turned and stormed
out.
Everyone seemed to be looking at me, since they were aware I knew
him best. I shrugged and tried to smile. "Sorry. I didn't know he had a
temper like that. He'll be fine in a while. I'll see you guys later,
okay?" I finished, exiting just as Colby had, trying not to make eye
contact with any of them.
Colby was slumped on the ground wearing the expression of a pouting
child, leaning up against the wall for support when I got outside. He made
no attempt to acknowledge me, even though he knew I was there.
I sat down beside him, let a few moments of silence pass, and then
spoke in a neutral tone. "What was that, Colby?"
He gave a nonchalant shrug. "Asshole elbowed me in the throat."
I grinned, starting to see the whole situation as something
comical. "He set a pick. A hard pick, granted, but it was still just a
pick. You should have ignored him and continued pressuring the hell out of
your man. You mean to tell me it's that easy to get in your head?"
My words were making him see the way he had overreacted, but he
wasn't about to talk about it. His way of showing it was to get up and
brush himself off. "Let's go," he said quietly.
I fell into step with him. We walked in silence until I started
laughing. Apparently the experience's amusing side had suddenly hit him as
well, because he grinned and looked over at me. "What?" he asked me, his
better mood bringing back the angelic tone in his voice.
"You do have a flaw after all," I said in a sudden realization.
"Your temper is dangerously quick. I'll have to watch out for that, huh?"
He gave me a light shove, but the playfulness had returned. He
searched my face, doubtlessly phrasing a question he wasn't sure how to
ask. "Well, besides the uh.. incident at the end, how do you think I
played?"
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at him from the side. "You
actually need me to tell you? The guy you were guarding is one of the
better point guards in my grade, and you were making him as frustrated as
I've ever seen him. Keep in mind you're a full year younger than the rest
of the guys out there, and you outplayed us all."
It almost seemed as though my compliments had embarrassed him, but
he surely had heard several things similar to that before. On hearing my
approval, he smiled. "I guess I can't ever show my face there again."
I set about trying to comfort him. "Don't worry about it. They
won't hold that against you. They're too impressed with your game.
Anyway, emotions fly on the court sometimes, and they understand that. You
may think otherwise, but all those guys in there are for the most part
pretty decent."
He melted me with another glance at my eyes, his powerful gaze
seeming to explore my soul. "Even the guy who elbowed me?" he asked with a
faint smile.
"Yeah. Even him." We approached our street and made the turn.
The breezy April air was succeeding in cooling us off after the hard
exercise.
"I'm staying over at your house tonight," he suddenly revealed to
me. I'd known him about a month, and in that period I learned that when
you made plans with Colby, you didn't know what they were until it was time
to act on them.
"Fine by me. Did you actually ask your parents this time?"
He shrugged. "What difference does it make? They'll know where I
am, and if they want to make sure, they can come over and find out."
I didn't bother arguing. It was no use. Besides, when the words
were out of his mouth, he started at a steady run down the street towards
my house. "What are you doing now?" I called.
"Just making sure I stay in shape," he shouted back. As I watched
him race off into the distance, I took in his body, finely toned like any
serious athlete's body is, but still very boyish. In time the subtle
definition would turn into hardened muscle.
Again I was hit with the feeling that he was too perfect. I was
growing to the point of becoming obsessed with Colby, or had I passed that
point a while back? Had it gotten to that when I saw him light up the
scoreboard back in early February? Maybe, but now it was intensified.
I kicked a stone in frustration. I loved being around him, but he
was taking over me. By now he was in my driveway, and I was far behind.
"Do you even realize how good you look in athletic clothing?" I mumbled to
myself as I caught up to him.
The sound of my name being whispered repeatedly brought me out of
my peaceful slumber. I opened my eyes and groggily looked in the general
vicinity of the sound. The morning's first rays of sunlight streamed
through the windows, allowing me to see Colby clearly. He was lying back,
head propped up, obviously wide-awake.
"I'm having trouble sleeping. How about you?" he asked with a
smile. I groaned inwardly, because I was too tired to do it out loud.
I managed a sharp reply. "Did it look like I was having trouble
sleeping? What time is it anyway? Six? I don't even get up this early on
a damn school morning. What the hell are you doing awake? Go back to
sleep."
All that kind of jumbled together in one quick response. My sleepy
tone amused him. He removed his covers, leapt out of bed, and tried to
pull me out of the sleeping bag. "It's a quarter past seven, and you can't
sleep either. Might as well get up now."
Normally I'd enjoy all this, but I couldn't summon up the playful
part of me at this point. I pushed him away as best as I could, but he was
persistent. As I started to fully wake up, I took advantage of catching
glimpses of his nearly naked body as he struggled with me. He finally grew
tired of it and collapsed beside me.
I breathed in the clean scent he'd stirred up in the air with all
the movement, feeling a bit disturbed when I realized how much I relished
it. Maybe I was getting a little too wrapped up in him.
"Not only was I sleeping peacefully, but I was having a really good
dream too. You screwed it up. I should really kick your ass for that," I
said, starting to adjust to the feel of morning.
I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye. "A really good dream,
huh? About who?"
You, I thought instantly. "My mom," I said, trying to stifle a
laugh at the quick cover-up. Fortunately he didn't take me seriously.
His eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh really? I had no idea you
were such an incestuous young man." He paused and feigned thinking.
"That's odd. You and I dreamed about the same person last night. How
about that?"
I reached out and gave him a playful slap on his cheek. "Keep your
adolescent fantasies to yourself, boy. Especially the ones that involve my
mom."
He shrugged, laughing. "I swear my hand didn't go anywhere near
here last night," he said, giving his crotch a quick squeeze to let me know
what 'here' symbolized. I winced, trying to keep my mind off of those
areas of his body.
I gave him a quizzical look. "I hope not, because that's my bed
you slept on last night." It was a struggle to keep that image out of my
mind. As odd as it sounded, I really didn't care what he did on the bed.
I'd just have to make a mental note to never again have the sheets washed.
Apparently he was starting to zone out, and as he did, he pulled
the waistband of his boxers up, releasing them and creating a snapping
sound as they came down on his flesh. My eyes were greedily glued to this
action, not daring to do anything that might ruin the reverie he was in.
And then he caught me.
At first I was worried he might get suspicious, but he let out a
short laugh. "I do that a lot, don't I?" I looked at him blankly. Did he
mean zone out or snap the waistband of his boxers?
"Uh... Do what a lot?" I asked intelligently. He demonstrated
what he meant by repeating the waistband snapping process. I pretended to
notice for the first time, and hoped my acting was good. "As pretty as
your boxers are, Colby, I can't stare at them all the time. My most
sincere apologies, but I can't really testify to the fact that you're in
the habit of doing that."
He smiled, and I felt content with my recovery. I was having to do
a lot of quick thinking to cover my attraction for him anymore. "I'm
hungry," he said to me suddenly.
I looked at him as though he had said something ridiculous. "I
gave you my bed last night as a favor, which you did God knows what in, and
now you want to eat our food too?"
I was glad to hear him giggling in response. "Yeah, you're
probably right, Billy. Maybe that would be asking too much." He rose to
his feet and stretched. "Now do you think you could wake your parents up?
I'm in the mood for French toast, and I wouldn't trust you to make it the
way I like it."
3 - May
"Not bad. My rating? I'll give you a nine. The reverse could
have been a little flashier," I said somewhat passively considering what
I'd just seen. I looked around and smiled to myself when I saw all the
younger and older kids alike gaping with their mouths open at the most
recent of Bo's unique dunking ideas.
"Just getting warmed up," he said, hungrily eating up all the
attention he was getting. I glanced around at the spectators.
"Looks like a lot of first timers here. They've never seen your
show before," I said grinning. "Got anything else in mind?"
He shrugged. "I've been working on something else," he said
casually. Starting at the three-point line, he bounced the ball off the
floor, ran to catch up with it, and in the same motion, jumped to grab it
out of the air and slammed it in with two hands. Those who hadn't seen
this kind of thing from Bo before allowed themselves to let out a surprised
sound of awe.
I could only watch. I'd known him since sixth grade, and he was
dunking by seventh grade. Although we played alongside each other on the
court in our school games, his skills were quite a bit sharper than mine.
"I still don't know how you get up there so well," I said in wonder. "I
have a couple inches on you, and I'm lucky to touch the rim without the
ball, let alone reverse dunk."
He shrugged again. "I guess me not being white helps me out, huh
Billy? Besides, you can't jump, even for a white boy."
The thought of defending myself didn't occur. It was correct that
I didn't have much of a vertical leap, and I wasn't exactly sensitive about
it. "True. I still get a piece of your shots every now and then anyway,"
I finished, trying to give myself some credit.
Tired of entertaining the crowd, he settled on firing three
pointers, hitting almost all of them. With this less exciting event, the
audience started to scatter, and the gym was almost empty.
At about the precise time I'd told him to meet me here, I saw Colby
walking in, a pair of shoes in his hands, dressed in his familiar
loose-fitting basketball attire. He always looked perfect in it, but then
again, he looked perfect no matter what he wore. Nodding in his direction,
I pointed him out to Bo. "There's a guy who could shut your game down," I
said wryly.
He laughed, retrieved the ball that he had just sent sailing
through the net, and modestly laid it in. Scanning the people in the gym,
his eyes stopped on Colby, sitting on the sidelines lacing up his favorite
pair of shoes he wore only in gyms.
Apparently he recognized him. "That's Colby Bell isn't it?
Seventh grader who scored 35 points in the basketball tournament? Damn.
You know him?"
"Yeah, I've gotten around to knowing him pretty well. Why?"
"Have him come over here," Bo said. I could tell by the look in
his eyes he was going to see for himself how good Colby really was. I knew
he wouldn't be disappointed.
"Hey Colby," I said loud enough for him to hear. He diverted his
attention from his sneakers to me, looking at me expectantly. I shivered
at his features. They never ceased to put me in a woozy daze. "Come on
over here. Bo wants to get to know you," I said with a grin.
In a matter of seconds he was striding across the gym, laced up and
ready to go. I would have told him how good he looked, but that probably
wouldn't fit the list of acceptable things to say, especially in front of
Bo, who was sizing up the newcomer, but appearing friendly enough.
Colby looked up to meet his eyes, keeping a cool expression on his
face, making sure not to seem intimidated. I didn't think he was acting
for a second. He knew what he was doing. "Saw your game a couple of
months ago," Bo drawled in the style only he could. He palmed the ball and
held it out in front of Colby. "Show me what you got," he challenged, a
large smile on his face.
I didn't interfere. Backing off from their game, I observed as
Colby calmly strolled back to the top of the three-point line and checked
the ball. Bo got into a defensive set, applying his usual smothering
defense.
It was quite pleasing to see Colby not fazed by the considerably
taller and more developed nemesis guarding him. He backed in slowly, and
then went between his legs a few times. His eyes were set on the basket.
I recognized the move he was going to pull off immediately, having
been the victim of it myself, and I knew Bo was going to get burned. I
smiled, feeling a sense of pride, but didn't say anything. Then he did it.
The quick fake to the right, between the legs, switching to the left hand,
faking towards the left, then topping it off by changing back to his right
hand and heading that direction.
Bo, as I expected, was cheating to the left, not anticipating the
last hand change, and couldn't catch up, although he made a valiant
attempt. His athleticism allowed him to somehow come close enough to take
a swipe at the ball from behind, missing by only inches.
He mouthed a silent 'wow' and gave his nod of approval to Colby.
"Not bad little man. You wanna stick around and play a game with us? The
other guys should be here later. You can be on my team," he said, winking
towards me.
I allowed myself to be a mere observer as the two of them messed
around, Bo showing Colby a few of his signature dunks. I had no reason to
feel jealous. In some way Colby seemed to like having me act as his big
brother, but he was quite independent at times.
It was the way he smiled at me after he had put Bo in his place a
few minutes ago that made me realize how much he thought of me. He trusted
me, and we were rapidly growing into best friends, in just a few months
time.
At that point, I didn't look back. He had completely captured my
heart, even if putting it that way was a bit dramatic. As Bo demonstrated
his ability to dunk in tomahawk style, I think I was about as happy as
Colby was. He was proud of himself for proving he could compete with the
best players around his age, and I was just thrilled at the thought of how
close we were becoming.
Colby's mouth was running on automatic as we walked back to our
street from the gym that afternoon. We'd played pickup basketball for
hours, and he'd been absolutely brilliant. No one could stop him.
But he was most proud of one specific accomplishment, the one he
wouldn't shut up about. I smiled and let him puff out his chest the whole
way back. "That felt so good," he exclaimed for the hundredth time. "Were
you impressed with the pass? Did you not think that looked cool as hell?"
Laughing, I told him what he wanted to hear. "I don't think I've
ever seen Bo so pleased. You gave it to him right where he likes it. He
just kind of grabbed it with one hand and dunked it. I agree, hell of a
lob."
I didn't have to pretend to be impressed. It really was an awesome
play. We had a fast break, triggered when Colby stole the ball from his
man and darted down the court. Bo had sneaked down the sidelines so fast
no one even realized where he was until Colby lofted him a one handed pass
in a quick sidearm motion. The pass was perfect. Bo leapt in the air and
guided the ball into the basket emphatically with only his right hand.
"I can tell you and Bo are going to get along well," I said, taking
advantage of a few moments silence.
I should have known that would get him started again. He looked
over at me, his face still replaying the triumphs. "I hope so. He's
pretty cool. I never expected to get to play with him."
We made the turn on our street. "Thanks, Billy. For bringing me
out there, and not making a big deal out of what happened that one time.
It's great to play with those guys."
Now he was thanking me. As if I wasn't already attached to him.
It seemed I was finding some other good quality in him everyday to make me
fall more in love with him. "Glad to assist you with the opportunity, but
it's your own doing that has earned you all this respect."
He was all smiles. It was truly heart-warming for me to see him so
radiant. Suddenly he hoisted himself up on my back and wrapped his legs
around me. If it wasn't so painful I would have been aroused.
"Give me a ride back to your house. I'm too exhausted to walk," he
said, auditioning perfectly for the part of a tired brat. I tried
unsuccessfully to pry him off me.
"Get off me you clingy bastard," I choked out, struggling to
support his weight. "Christ, Colby, you must think I'm pretty strong. I
can't carry you."
He only laughed, giving me no sympathy. "Ah, don't be modest. You
know you're a stud," he said, reaching around and squeezing my biceps,
using that delicious tone in his voice he saved for special occasions.
"Don't tell me you can't lug 115 pounds down the street."
So it's 115 pounds, I thought to myself. I had him pegged for less
than that. "Okay, but if I suddenly collapse on the ground, you know it
can't be done." Having forced out those words, I prepared myself for the
longest trip down the street of my life.
Our voyage began, both of us laughing as the passing cars gave us
strange looks. Colby waved at them just for good measure. I carried him
the whole way down the street, all 115 pounds of him.
4 - June
Ah, the summer days. I'd started the summer off spending basically
every day with Colby of course. We'd hang around each other's houses,
entertain ourselves in whatever way possible, and make frequent trips to
the gym to play basketball, and recently to satisfy his desire to work out
with the equipment upstairs as well.
I personally thought it was just a temporary phase he was going
through, that he'd tire of lifting weights soon enough, but he was very
much into it at this point. As I worked on benching 120 pounds, he sat
across from me on a bench doing curls with ten pound dumbbells.
With a masculine grunt, I set the bar down and sat up, watching him
intently try to squeeze a few more curls out of his fatigued right arm. He
wasn't the least bit aware I was watching him.
I stared intimately at his adolescent figure, his face straining as
lifting became harder and harder. The wife-beater he was wearing revealed
everything he had to offer on his upper body, and it was quite nice to look
at. It was that perfect appearance of boyish definition.
He was still too young for his arms to really show much effect of
the weight training, but his biceps were certainly looking more impressive
when full force was required. I let out a laugh when I knew his arm was
finished, even if he didn't want to be.
His eyes met mine and he seemed to remember he wasn't alone. With
a sigh, he let the weight drop to the floor. "You distracted me. I could
have finished that last curl," he said in an annoyed tone that I found
cute.
"My apologies, stud. Forgive me for saying this, but your arm
tells a different story. I think you've had enough for today," I said with
a grin. He never wanted to leave.
I literally saw his temper flare. His face flushed even more so.
"Why the hell are you telling me what to do? Are you afraid I'll out lift
you or something?" He reached down and picked up the dumbbell to start a
new set.
It was difficult to keep myself from breaking up, but I knew him,
and laughing wasn't the thing to do when he lost his temper. So I just
spoke in a fair-minded way, spacing the words out calmly in hopes that he'd
compose himself. "Look at your arms, Colby. You can't push them any
further today. And I know you feel that, you're just not admitting it."
Unfortunately, he didn't appreciate those comments, and it didn't
help his anger. "Fine, I'll listen to you and do whatever you say, because
you know everything about me and what my limit is."
Having spat that out, he all but threw the weight to the floor,
making quite a scene as he turned and walked out. I sat still for a few
moments, pondering on how serious this was. In principle, it seemed like
it shouldn't be a big deal, and that the level of fatigue his arm was
feeling wasn't worth a fight.
But somehow it was more than that. A lot of things contributed to
the whole thing being blown way out of proportion. I knew Colby was a very
intense, passionate person, and didn't like to be told what to do. He was
engaged in one of his passions, and I had told him to stop. Add his
incredibly quick temper to the mix and it creates a problem.
I told myself I'd meant well. I wasn't trying to show him I had
control over him, or stopping him because I was afraid of him becoming
capable of lifting more than I could. Just to be a good citizen, I put up
the weight he'd thrown to the ground at the height of his tantrum as well
as the plates I'd been using on the bar.
By now everyone had stopped looking at me, wondering what was going
on, so I was able to walk out without feeling watched. You sure are prone
to leaving this gym angrily, Colby, I thought to myself with a smile as I
exited the front doors.
He hadn't been outside waiting for me like that time he'd been
elbowed in the throat. As I walked home alone I replayed the many times
we'd walked on the same route together. The ride I gave him on my
shoulders, the conversations we had.
My mind started wandering and I sank into my analytical mode, a
setting that struck me way too often.
He wasn't outside waiting for me at his house, and he wasn't
waiting for me on the porch of my house. When I opened the door and walked
inside, I was alone, just as I had been the whole way back.
My body felt better after I showered, but my mind was still stuck
on the little incident that had happened a short while ago. Yet it felt
like days had passed. I slowly came down the stairs, still shirtless from
my shower.
I headed for the living room, intending to look out the large
window onto the sunny street and do some more thinking. Colby was relaxed
on the chair, awaiting my entrance. After my nerves calmed down from the
surprise, I gave him a look that invited him to talk.
And for a few seconds we did nothing but stare. Our eyes were
locked on each other. I was sensing remorse from him before he spoke. It
wasn't like Colby to chatter idly about something. He could have broken
the ice by apologizing for startling me, or by offering me a simple
greeting. Instead he got right to the point.
"I'm sorry I got mad at you a while ago. You didn't deserve to
hear what I told you." He stopped there, not going so far as to completely
admit that he had acted wrongly. But it was rather touching for me to get
this much of an apology from him, because if he had a weak point, it was
making amends to something in which he was at fault.
I sat down on the couch and looked at him. He was gorgeous. A
regretful pout was masking the gleaming smile that usually captivated me,
but his beauty still shone through the room brighter than any ray of sun.
There was no question about forgiving him. I wanted nothing more to see
him smile again. "Don't worry about it," I soothed. "But understand I was
just trying to give you advice."
He nodded solemnly. "I know." He broke our eye contact and looked
out the window. "I'm jealous as hell," he said very clearly, still not
looking at me.
I waited for him to again meet my eyes. When he finally did, I
spoke. "Why, Colby?" I said softly. "What reason have you got to be
jealous of me? I'd kill for your talent. And with your focus, you'll have
a much better build than I do soon."
It appeared as if he shrugged off my attempts to console him. "I
just want to look like you. I wish my stomach was defined. I wish my arms
bulged all the time. I want to be a stud," he finished, his expression
serious.
I on the other hand started to smile. "Doesn't everyone? Besides,
don't set your sights on me. I have a lot of work to do before I'm the
beast you just described," I said, laughing. If we were playing 'tell
all', I would have told him he was already my ideal picture of a complete
stud, even if he did lack the muscle definition.
He finally loosened up and allowed himself to laugh. His giggle
filled the emptiness in the room with warmth and innocence. Having made
up, we agreed approximately five seconds later that he would stay over
tonight. But it took some serious persuading.
"I love you," Colby said sincerely. I smirked from my position
across the room from him. He gave me a 'Go to Hell' look and hung up the
receiver.
"I'm to understand from the side of the conversation that I heard
your mom said it was ok for you to go? And I love you too, son."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she was a little reluctant when I told
her that I wouldn't be back for a few days, but I'm a good negotiator."
Acting on an impromptu impulse, as usual, he leapt in my direction and
grabbed me in a painful embrace. "This is so cool. I can't believe I'm
going to see an NBA Finals game."
I laughed, enjoying how thrilled he was. I had intentionally put
off asking him for quite a while, waiting for the perfect time to casually
let him in on the news that we had been given four free tickets to Game 1
of the NBA Finals. "Aren't you glad you made up with me now?" I asked
mockingly. Giving me a light shove, he flashed his perfect smile.
"Hey, I apologized because I think you're cool and I felt bad for
what I did, not because your dad has connections with awesome people.
Besides, I didn't even know anything about this until you brought it up
tonight. Bo already knows everything?"
"Yeah, I told him a while back," I answered, grinning. "I just
felt like springing it on you suddenly." We had ended up flopping down on
the couch in his sudden attack a bit ago. I looked over at him, and the
little boy in him was glowing. His eyes were aflame with the visions of
professional basketball players carving their artwork into the hardwood
canvas.
"Guess I need to get my bag packed soon, huh?" he asked me, still
in a trance. "We'll be there overnight?" I'd already gone over all these
things, but I patiently answered his question anyway.
"Yeah, we'll leave tomorrow morning, catch the game in the evening,
and stay somewhere for the night. We'll be back the day after the game.
And yes, pack your bag as soon as you go home tomorrow. The Finals are
calling us."
5 - July
Needless to say, the experience of seeing an NBA game (let alone a
Finals game) was more than thrilling. Bo had a whole new respect for me,
and Colby and I grew closer because of it.
I watched as my shot took a perfect course from my hands to the
net. Bo and I had planned to meet each other in a bit, so I had come early
to spend some time practicing alone and to think.
Friday night wasn't the best time to come if you wanted the gym to
yourself. Both the main goals were occupied, so I'd had to settle with a
goal in the corner in order to be alone. My mind settled on its favorite
subject.
Tonight he was spending time with a friend in his grade instead of
with me, and I wasn't bothered by that. I knew we were quickly becoming
best friends, and saw no reason to be jealous, but I was finding myself
wishing he was with me.
"Working on that dunk I showed you last time?" said an unmistakable
voice from in back of me. Not just somewhere near me, but directly behind
me, only inches away. The fright of the sudden voice cutting through my
thoughts altered my shot and the effect was a hideous miss off the side of
the backboard.
He laughed at my surprise, recovered the ball for me, and casually
dunked it with two hands. "Jesus Bo. You sneak in here as well as you
sneak down the baseline. Don't you ever do anything without using
stealth?"
Tossing the ball back to me, he grinned. "Not unless I want to
draw attention to myself. What's up tonight? Where's Colby?"
I put up a shot and watched it hit the front iron and come down in
Bo's hands. Had he and I become so close that when someone saw me they
automatically thought he was there too? "He's over at one of his friend's
house tonight. Why?" I asked, almost suspiciously.
He shrugged and dribbled out to take a long distance shot. "Just
wondering. It's been forever since I've seen you without him right by you.
You two are starting to look like brothers or some shit," he added as the
ball connected with its target. I swear he never missed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said laughing. "We kind of hit it
off immediately."
The only response I got right away was an emphatic dunk. "He's a
cool guy," Bo agreed with me. "And his game isn't bad either." I would
have defended Colby by saying his game was absolutely incredible, but
that's what he'd meant, even if he didn't say it outright. "How about a
game?" he asked with the fire of competitiveness in his eyes.
I started to decline, saying I wasn't up for it, but he cut me off.
I found the ball in my hands and him facing me, ready for my move. "Your
ball," he drawled with a smile.
"So you kicked his ass, right?" Colby asked me as I put a mark on
the wall just above his head. "I bet you shut him down even." I smiled
and extended the tape measure.
"We played to 10. Final score was 10 to 2, his victory, my demise.
But he only dunked over me three times, which I'm boastful about." I
paused to finish my task. "Okay, you don't have to stand there anymore."
He moved away from the wall and studied the mark I'd made. "How'd
you score twice? Was he temporarily blinded both times?"
I shot him a mean look. "No, I pushed his ass out of the way and
slammed it down his throat a few times actually." Flashing a quick smile,
I told the truth. "He gave me a little too much space and I hit a couple
of outside shots. The rest I tried to get off were all pretty much
rejected."
Laughing, he peered closely at the wall to see the final result.
"67 inches. Cool, I've grown two inches since the summer started then."
"So you have," I responded. "You're 5'7" now. Damn, at this rate,
you really will be able to dunk on Bo soon. Plus you have your beastly
muscles now," I noted with a smile.
"Hey, shut up, my muscles are improving," he said, but with a proud
grin. "Seriously, don't you think my stomach's looking pretty sexy?"
Without any kind of modesty, he pulled his shirt up to reveal his abdomen,
which was indeed appealing. For a 13 year old, it was pretty impressive.
I feigned shock. "When did you develop that sexy body Colby? I
had no idea you were so stunning and well defined." He pleasured me with
his angelic giggle, and then playfully wrapped me up in a tackle. God I
loved him.
Now and then when I see his face, it takes me away to that special
place, and if I stare too long I'll probably break down and cry. I woke up
to the lyrics from the Sheryl Crow version of "Sweet Child O' Mine".
I remained in my position, slowly gathering my senses. I hadn't
recalled setting the alarm clock. He's got eyes of the bluest skies, if
they thought of rain. I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of
pain.
Suddenly the song stopped, I guessed because someone (more than
likely Colby) had turned off the alarm. Oddly enough, Colby's face looming
above greeted me when I finally opened my eyes. With an enormous smile on
his face, he started bursting into his signature giggle.
"You're up early. It's only ten in the morning." His legs were
actually straddling me. I prayed I wouldn't start to become aroused with
him in this spot. But the feel of his body so close to me was pretty
tempting.
Doing a decent job of acting indifferent to our position, I put on
an annoyed look. "Why the hell did you set the alarm? Big plans for today
that involve getting up early?"
Another boyish giggle. "Something like that," he said, thankfully
rolling off of me and the bed entirely. The problem with spending the
night with Colby was that every morning of our sleepover I had to see him
in his boxers and act like it wasn't a stunning sight.
He slipped into the same outfit he'd worn yesterday as I subtly
watched every graceful movement. "Come on, get dressed. I mean, I think
you're hot in just boxers, but it's not appropriate attire for going out in
public." With that, he walked out of the room, humming the song that had
just woken us up as he left.
Normally I'd never consider getting up this early, especially since
we had been up until four in the morning last night. But he had some event
planned that he'd obviously put some thought into, and I was incredibly
curious as to what it was.
So I did exactly as he'd told me to, running his comment through my
mind as I got dressed. I'd fantasized about the possibility of him not
being hopelessly straight many times, and with statements like that it was
no wonder. I told myself it was just his way, and that he probably wasn't
serious, but it was still flattering to hear.
Eager to see what the boy with eyes of the bluest skies had come up
with, I exited the room and searched for Colby, who was no doubt making
himself at home somewhere without my consent or company.
Colby had meant business in getting up this early. After hurrying
me out the door, he informed me we were heading over to his house. He
wasn't giving me any hints about his scheme, so I still had no idea what
was going on.
Part of me was dying to ask, but I knew that would be playing right
into his hands. We approached his front door and he let himself in, me
following behind.
Both his mom and his dad were moving around as we entered. Their
house was always busy and noisy in the morning. If I'd been thinking
straight, I would have asked him why his parents were even home, rather
than working. "Hi Billy," his mom said to me, concentrating more on her
house tidying than she was on me. "Ready for the trip?"
The trip? I wondered if I'd heard her correctly, and hesitated a
bit. Colby took advantage of my confusion to butt in and answer for me.
"Yeah, we're ready. We're just going to my room to finalize a few things."
He gave me a sharp nudge and pushed me into the hallway leading to
his room. "Damn right we're going to finalize a few things," I said as
soon as we were in his room. "What trip? You've been hiding something
from me, haven't you?"
The devilish grin on his face told all. His eyes sparkled as he
let me in on the big event he'd set the alarm for. "You just figured that
out? I've been setting this up for a long time, Billy boy. It's my
special idea for us, and I knew I needed to do something like this ever
since you took me to that NBA game. We're staying in a cabin for a few
days while we go to visit my grandparents. I asked if I could take you,
and my parents said yes."
It was hard to make sense of all that was happening. My mind was
tossing all kinds of feelings at me, and I wasn't sure what to say first.
Suddenly I noticed a poster size picture hanging up on the wall above his
bed. It was a picture taken by my dad of Colby, Bo, and me as we smiled
genuinely for the camera.
Forgetting the current situation, I started to analyze the picture.
We all looked incredibly happy, which made sense. I was sitting in the
middle, and Bo was to my left, contorting his features in an attempt to
give the picture some humor. Colby, in contrast, was simply illuminated.
I could see a glint in his eyes that couldn't be described. He was leaning
towards me, our smiling faces nearly touching in the picture.
I found myself thinking there was no better representation of him.
He was a happy 13-year-old boy with shining eyes and a beautiful smile.
Again, his appearance made me shudder it was so spectacular. He was an
angel, nothing less. "Looks good blown up and on my wall, doesn't it?" he
asked, noticing my observation. "My dad put it up a few days ago. I can
brag about where I went now every time someone comes in my room."
Tearing myself out of the trance, I smiled. It really was an
awesome picture. "It does look a lot better blown up. That's a good
idea." He sat down on his bed and stretched out comfortably. "I had a lot
of fun there. So now it's my turn to take you somewhere. You'll have to
bring a bag with you. We'll be gone about two days or so." "I appreciate
the offer, and wherever it is we're going, I'm sure I'd love it, but my
parents have to hear about this. And from what it looks like, we're
leaving soon. I can't go on a trip without my parents permission."
"They've already granted it. Everything's set up, just get your
bag packed and come back over here."
I looked at him incredulously. "You talked to my parents privately
about this? You took a lot of risks just so you could surprise me like I
surprised you, huh? It would appear your parents think I've already agreed
to go."
He laughed and nodded. "It was kind of tricky actually. I got
permission from your parents and told them not to tell you, but my parents
wanted to hear that you'd accepted the offer, so I had to be a little
dishonest with them. But it was worth it. You had no idea what was going
on," he finished with a smirk.
Actually I still didn't know completely what was going on. He
hadn't told me where we were going. Sighing, I decided to go with it.
"Okay, I'll go. You're crazy for putting something like this together.
I'll go get my things packed."
As I started to walk out, he stopped me. "Billy? You might want
to bring swimming material. There's a lot of beaches in Florida, you
know?"
Eight-hour car trips weren't for me. The only good thing about it
was that Colby dozed off and practically fell in my lap. I gladly gave him
support until I realized he was drooling all over me. At that point I
slapped his cheek lightly to wake him.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. It didn't look like
he was very alert. "Stop drooling on me," I said, sounding harsher than
I'd meant to. His dad laughed from behind the wheel and informed us we
were almost there, a typical devise used to quiet children.
His eyes already beginning to shut, Colby mumbled an apology, made
sure his mouth was closed, and was instantly back asleep.
"You boys must have stayed up pretty late last night," his mom said
to me. She turned to look at Colby, her expression showing how fond she
was of him. "If you don't want him lying on you, go ahead and move him.
He won't mind."
I smiled groggily. "No, he's fine. And we were up until four, but
only because there were so many important things to take care of." She
laughed and said something in response, but I was already dozing off
myself.
"Wake up Colby, we're here," I said now in a much better mood. It
had been a few hours since his dad had told us we were 'almost there'. I'd
woken up about twenty minutes before we got to our destination, and was
feeling better. Colby hadn't moved, so I sensed he still needed more
sleep.
"Huh?" he said, opening his eyes and this time sitting upright.
"Oh, we're here," he said, observing our surroundings. "I slept the whole
time?"
I nodded. "You slept the whole time, and you drooled on me the
whole time. You're like a dog. You have no control over your saliva."
Everyone seemed to appreciate that comment. "Sorry," he said
sheepishly. His dad parked the car and I happily stepped outside, glad to
free my legs. I'd been moving as little as possible for the last several
hours so Colby would have a solid foundation to sleep on.
Not a bad place. It was seven, and just beginning to show signs of
evening. We'd be staying in a little cabin, but it was hardly secluded.
The cabins were lined up like a bunch of motel rooms. At least there were
beaches nearby. I wasn't sure about how much fun meeting his grandparents
tomorrow would be though.
Grabbing my bag, I started up the path, Colby and I falling into
step with each other as his parents lead the way to the registration area.
"How are you feeling slobber boy? You should be feeling mostly a case of
severe dry mouth and too much sleep. Am I right?"
I'd been aiming for the giggle, and was pleased when I got it.
It'd be a shame when he wasn't capable of making that adorable sound. "I
already said I was sorry. But if you keep teasing me about it I'll be sure
to do it again on the way back. And yeah, I feel refreshed. You're pretty
useful as a body rest. That's the real reason I invited you to come along
on the trip."
My comeback was to close my eyes and open my mouth, imitating the
way he had looked as he drooled on me. "Maybe you'll have an accident
while we're swimming later," he shot back with a threatening smile.
Whatever witty retaliation I had brewing in my brain got cut off as
his parents informed us we had cabin five and began heading in that
direction. We hurried to catch up with them. I sourly noted that he
always got the last word in.
"Boys, there's only two beds in these cabins, so you two will be
sleeping together. You'll have to go bed at a decent hour tonight and keep
the noise down," his dad instructed us sternly. He knew keeping the noise
down and going to bed at a decent hour were things we didn't practice.
"No problem," I said, my voice oozing with sarcasm. Turning to
Colby, I threw the final blow in our verbal bout. "Are you sure I can
trust you not to salivate on me tonight?"
"At least we've got our own room," Colby said as we lied together
on the incredibly uncomfortable excuse for a bed.
"Yeah, the paper-thin walls will really muffle our sounds well. We
can yell all night and your parents won't even hear," I replied in my usual
cynical way.
It never bothered him. If anything, he appreciated my humor much
more than anyone else, but then again, I saved my best comments for him.
"I like that nice ocean scent you've got going on," he said out of nowhere.
We made a perfect pair.
I laughed. "You'd think I'd been swimming in salt water. By the
way, I appreciate you not drowning me tonight. I was worried the way you
threatened me earlier."
"Don't think you're safe yet," he said with raised eyebrows. "That
wasn't the last time we'll be swimming here, and besides, you're vulnerable
in your sleep. I could get the job done then."
He moved over a bit closer to me, our bodies now touching. "Colby?
Are you trying to get close to me so you can kill me?" I asked.
A devious smile. "No, actually I was trying to seduce you. Or at
least convince you to seduce me. I can't help myself; you're such a
desirable guy. Billy?" he asked with phony seriousness. Feeling for my
hand and squeezing it, he looked straight into my eyes. "I'm beginning to
wonder if we should take our relationship to the next level."
He'd done an admirable job of acting until he burst out laughing.
I could only shake my head at how oblivious he was of how much I felt for
him in the way he had just joked about. Thankfully his antics had struck
me as amusing rather than offensive.
"Come on big boy, let's make love," he said through a fit of
giggles. I just smiled and wondered what it would be like if he was
serious.
As much fun as he was having with this game, I decided to make an
attempt to redirect him. "Wouldn't it be funny if your parents were
hearing all this right now through that shower curtain material wall?"
My plan didn't work. I guess he wasn't going to shut up until he
was ready to. "Does it matter at this point? I mean, isn't it about time
they knew about us?" Again he clasped my hands. "We've got to come out to
everyone, and most importantly, ourselves."
Ourselves? This was getting interesting, not that I had any reason
to believe he was being any more serious than he was before. Still, it was
quite a fascinating thought. Almost as if he was hinting around at
something.
"Colby, I know you got like 24 hours of sleep in the car on my lap,
but I didn't sleep as well. Maybe it was because my clothes were starting
to get soaked. You know I'd like to trade humorous comments with you all
night, but I'm tired, and when I get tired I'm not as creative. So unless
you wanna talk to yourself, join me as I begin the process of sleep."
"Sleep? But we have so much of us to talk about Billy. We have to
face this eventually. Why not now?" He giggled and changed positions to
get comfortable. "Ok, I'll shut up so you can sleep. I guess I owe it to
you after you let me drool all over you today. Thanks for the favor, by
the way."
I laughed. "Sure, anytime Colby. Whenever you wanna slobber on me
in the future just let me know and I'll be happy to accommodate you."
"No, I meant for letting me sleep on you. The drooling just made
it more of a noble act." I realized he hadn't repositioned himself since
he had moved close to me a few minutes ago. Was he planning on sleeping
with our bodies touching? Did he even realize it?
He was lying on his side; his back turned but firmly pressed
against me. It appeared by the sound of rhythmic breathing that he was
already asleep, although I wondered how he could possibly have accomplished
it so fast after getting so much sleep on the way here. Guess all the
energy he released in the last few hours had caught up with him.
Although I really was tired, I wanted to absorb this feeling before
I too fell asleep. It's not often you get to experience a gorgeous boy
sleeping a mere inches away from you. Grinning, I wrapped my arms around
him from behind and waited for his response.
There was silence for a few seconds, but he soon broke into
laughter. "That feels nice," he commented. "Does this mean you wanna
reconsider my offer on taking our relationship to the next level?"
"I'm thinking about it," I responded, figuring that was a safe
comment. I wasn't intending to release the hold I had on him unless he
told me to.
"The offer will still be open when you decide," he cooed in a fake,
but still sweet voice. After another few moments of silence, I again heard
the slow breathing that indicated he was asleep. Asleep in my arms. I
smiled, content. What a thought.
6 - August
Now summer was winding down. With the help of Colby it had been a
blur of incredible memories. He had grown yet another inch in the past
month, making him 5'8". As school neared, he grew more and more excited
about basketball season.
I knew he was going to please the hell out of the basketball
coaches when it came time for tryouts in a couple of months. Not only had
he grown about three inches taller, but his game had actually improved with
all the competition against older kids at the gym.
As for the muscles? He asked me for my opinion on how his body was
looking just about every week, and each time he asked he removed his shirt,
modeling his upper body for examination. Although he was too young to be
incredibly buff, the results of working out were starting to become visible
in his form, but in a delicate way.
"Still can't do that, can you young master Colby?" Bo declared
after sending one down with one hand.
I smiled from my spot sitting against the wall. "Just wait, Bo.
He'll be dunking on you in no time. He's already kicking your ass in one
on one."
Blocking one of Colby's shot attempts, Bo then beat him to the
ball, cleared it, and blew past him for yet another dunk. "That's game,"
he said, tauntingly handing Colby the ball and sitting down next to me.
"But he played me a hell of a lot better than you ever have, Billy."
"That's not fair, there should be a 'No Dunking' rule," Colby said,
joining Bo and me on the ground. Bo laughed and shoved him, making a
playful attempt to get a rise out of him.
"Relax little man. You played well, I was impressed." That had to
be one of the biggest compliments Bo had ever given. "You guys wanna walk
somewhere and get something to eat? My treat," he concluded, revealing the
contents of his wallet and flashing a toothy smile.
Just as I opened my mouth to make a sarcastic comment, Colby beat
me to it. "Who'd you rob to get that money?" he questioned with genuine
surprise.
Standing, Bo laughed. "Took it from a guy who didn't believe I
could dunk. It's not my fault he invested $100 into the bet. You two
coming or not?"
Shrugging, we took him up on his offer. He eyed us wearily as we
walked beside him. "That was creepy. You guys just moved in the same
motion at the exact same time. Like you two have some kind of inner
connection or something."
Colby smiled at the comment. "We're just really good friends, I
swear," he said, reaching for my hand and holding it. We all laughed at
the joke, but what Bo failed to notice was that Colby didn't release my
hand as we continued walking out of the gym, which was starting to fill up
as noon approached.
We hadn't played against each other since way back in March, that
day Colby first blessed me with his company. He was better than me even
then; I'd put up a good fight simply because I had been nearly a foot
taller than him.
Although I was still quite a bit taller, the three inches he had
grown counted for something. I was now facing a taller, stronger, and
somehow improved version of him from five months earlier.
I realized quickly just how much he'd progressed from the moment we
started going at it in the backyard, the memories of our first game
lingering in the air somewhere. In fact, I could still feel the light
breeze and warm rays of sun from that memorable spring day.
The air wasn't so light now. Both of us were drenched in sweat,
the mid-nineties temperature taking its toll. The competition was as
heated as the atmosphere.
He was backing me in slowly, something he hadn't had the strength
to do the last time. Once set up about ten feet away from the goal, he had
me pretty much right where he wanted me.
Quicker than I could keep up with, he spun around me and took his
time laying it in. He had more class than to recite the score to me. He
knew it, and so did I. It was 9 to 4, and we were playing to our usual
ten. I knew he had me beat; the question I asked myself was how well would
I take it.
Trying to get a sure point, I attempted to do a repeat of what he
had just done to me, except I was intending to back him in a little closer.
The sun was beating down on us full force.
"Taking me inside, Billy? Are you sure you wanna do that?" he
taunted, something rare for him. Normally it wouldn't bother me, but the
combination of getting my ass kicked by someone seven inches shorter and a
year younger than me coupled with the harsh sun and sweltering heat had
dampened my mood.
"Yeah, I'm sure," I responded sharply. There was no smile on my
face, no 'I'm kidding' tone in my voice. His laugh in response didn't help
anything. Getting frustrated with his tight defense, I gave him a gentle
but firm shove backwards with my shoulder.
I was getting into it, but he was still taking it lightly. "Not so
rough," he sang in a fake cry for mercy, returning the push to recover the
ground he'd lost.
Reverse of roles. This time my temper was flaring. My elbow shot
out and connected squarely with his face.
Letting out a short high-pitched sound of pain and surprise, he
bent over, his hands instinctively going up to clutch his nose. When he
took his hands off, I could see blood trickling out of his nostril. No.
No way I did that. I wasn't sure who had done it, or even who I was at
this point.
He looked up at me, eyes filled with rage. "What the hell is your
problem?" he shouted angrily. Taking a step towards me, he met my eyes.
"You can't take me beating you? Is that it?"
I could do nothing but gaze, my head spinning with these
developments I felt I had no control over. Time seemed to be frozen. I
didn't intimidate him; the fact that he had to look a good deal upwards to
make eye contact with me did not seem to bother him.
We stared at each other for a bit, and then he closed the distance
even more, shoving me backwards. Whatever control I had been hanging on to
snapped. I saw him wince as pain shot through his body.
My eyes seemed to slowly realize that my hands had a steel grip
around both of his shoulders. "I'll tell you what the problem is, Colby,"
I spat out through gritted teeth. "Your ego is inflated so large you're
not thinking straight. You've got it in your head you're better than me,
and I can't stand the way you're rubbing it in."
As I coldly shot these remarks at him, I kept my hold on him while
he continued to stare directly into my eyes. The anger in his expression
had now been replaced by pain and fear. His eyes were watering now, but
still I didn't let go. "That hurts," he said simply, keeping his voice
steady. I smirked at him, still influenced by my overwhelming sense of
rage.
"Why don't you make me stop then, big man?" I could feel the
tension in his body. Gradually his face lost its vigor, and his body
crumpled. "Go home," I said, releasing his shoulders and pushing him away
from me. It hadn't been that hard of a shove. I think it was the surprise
that propelled him backwards, where he surely would have landed hard on his
back had the basketball pole not stopped him.
After getting over the initial shock, he seemed to slump against
the pole for support. There was no fear in his eyes now, just simple pain.
A tear slowly made a voyage down his face. That hit me hard. Colby never
cried; his disposition was too fiery. When he spoke he did so in a strong
tone that didn't shake. "I guess that shows how much you care about me,"
he said calmly.
All I could do was stare, again asking myself who had just done all
this. I couldn't open my mouth to apologize. I looked at him, his back to
the pole, still too stunned by my actions to move himself. The wet streak
on his face, the blood on his nose. And all because of me.
Not waiting for me to find my voice, he straightened up and walked
off. I'm sorry Colby. You know I'd never hurt you. But I already had, in
a much deeper way than causing a bloody nose as a result of misplaced
anger.
Going to the gym wasn't the same without Colby there. It had been
a few weeks since our little conflict, and I was absolutely terrified at
the thought of approaching him, even though I knew the duty was clearly
mine.
It was me who needed to seek him out and apologize, certainly not
the other way around. He had nothing to apologize for. I couldn't blame
him for completely avoiding me lately. I hadn't even seen him once, and I
guessed he was either coming to the gym at times he knew I wouldn't be
there, or withdrawing from it altogether.
No, it wasn't going to be that easy. No chance meeting in the
weight room or on the basketball court where I could casually slip in my
regrets. I'd have to go face him at his front door, running the risk of
him slamming it in my face. The longer I waited the easier that would be
for him. I was stuck.
"Hey," said a voice above my shoulder. I glanced up to see Bo
looking down at me, not grinning like he usually was. I'd told him to meet
me upstairs in the equipment room earlier, just to get my mind off the
horrible situation I was in.
Originally I'd wanted to have some fun, and maybe even mask what I
was feeling, but now I couldn't bring myself to. I set down the weight I'd
been lifting absent-mindedly for the last several minutes. "What's up?
Getting a little bored, so I thought we could hang out for a while. Wanna
play basketball for a bit?"
He shrugged. "Sounds good to me. And I'll give you company, but
you're gonna have to tell me what the hell is going on with you and Colby."
As we headed down the stairs together, I asked myself how he could
have figured it out. Surely Colby hadn't spoken to him about it. He
answered my question as we opened the door to the basketball court.
"How do I know? It's not tough to figure out. I haven't you seen
you with him in weeks, and that's not normal. What happened?"
I found myself not eager to talk about it. He scooped up a ball
from a small boy no more than six or seven, reaching down to pat him on the
head. "Thanks little man," he said with a wink. The boy, happy to trade
the ball for attention from an older kid, merely smiled, not offended by
Bo's theft.
Little man. He used that name to refer to Colby many times. We
grabbed a goal in the corner and started shooting around. "So you gonna
tell me or not?" he asked in a persuasive tone.
Despite my mood, I smiled. "I'd rather not, Bo. It won't help. I
feel bad enough already." He put up a shot attempt, the ball clanging off
the back iron and coming to me. I passed it back to him automatically,
knowing he'd have to shoot until he made a few in a row.
"Come guard me," he ordered. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but
I decided to be cooperative. Immediately he started backing me in. "Let
me show you something." Lowering his shoulder, he roughly slammed it into
me, his strong build driving me hard into the ground. Once I was down, he
proceeded to finish it off with a one handed dunk, hanging on the rim for
effect.
Landing back on the court, he picked up the ball and handed it to
me as I lied on the ground. "Tell me," he said, standing above me.
My body ached from the hard hit he'd given me. Now I knew how the
defensive players felt when they tried to bring him down on the football
field. "Don't do this to me," I choked out weakly. "I don't wanna talk
about it."
Sighing, he bent over and pulled me up off the floor, pushing me
toward the exit. Before I had a chance to ask where we going, he told me.
"We're going to your house. To hang out, like you said. Now move your
ass."
7 - September
The rain was coming down hard. I stood still, staring out the
window in the direction of Colby's house. Today was going to be the day I
confronted him. I assumed his parents would still be at work, and he was
home alone. Better that way.
Bo had told me to 'drag my ass over there and face up to what I
did' after he finally got the story out of me that day not too long ago. I
told him I would do it soon, and now I was going to make my words good.
School had already started, so Colby was officially an eighth
grader, and I was officially a freshman in high school. It had been nearly
a month since our incident, and we'd both done an incredibly good job of
not running into each other. I hadn't seen his face in forever, and it was
killing me.
Even if he slammed the door on me, I'd have closure to the
situation. I was going to make an attempt at getting forgiveness. As I
walked out of my house and the short distance to his, I allowed my mind to
leave me briefly. It felt oddly similar to the first time I'd decided to
ring his doorbell, my heart beating wildly, my hands quivering with the
fear of the unknown.
Then, I was making an attempt to give us an opportunity to be
friends. That plan had worked better than I ever had a right to expect.
Now I was making an attempt to admit my mistakes and savor that wonderful
friendship I so desperately didn't want to lose.
Again, he had power over me. This was basically all his decision.
Everything was on the line for me; all he had to do was listen and judge.
But I'd put myself in this position. He would have settled this matter
weeks ago if it had been him that had thrown the elbow, if it had been him
that clenched my shoulders violently, if it had been him that had dealt a
verbal slap aimed to do nothing but cause hurt.
My thoughts trailed off as I slowly climbed the steps, pausing
inches away from the front door. Swallowing an incredible amount of fear,
I jabbed the doorbell and stepped back into the rain, going for a more
pathetic approach.
Slowly, the door opened, and I was face to face with the angel I'd
hurt. I sat there in the rain, rapidly becoming soaked, gazing in awe at a
face I had gone too long without seeing.
Collecting myself, I took a peaceful step forward out of the rain
and studied his expression. It was a stoical, emotionless look. I'd
rehearsed a short speech that would hopefully get me inside where we could
talk more, but when I saw his face I felt an overwhelming sense of anger at
myself for putting myself in a position where I might lose him.
I said to him what was on my mind. It was an offer; a very serious
offer. "You wanna hit me? I know I deserve it, so if you think it would
help you, by all means go for it."
The tone on his face didn't change a bit. I wasn't sure if he was
actually considering or not. No conclusions could be drawn as to what he
was going to do next. After hesitating a moment, he stepped outside on the
porch, gave me one of his heart-melting looks, and then embraced me
tightly, not just simply melting my heart, but completely liquefying it.
It was the last thing I'd expected, but I gladly wrapped my arms
around him, holding him close to me, feeling his warmth spread through my
body. Without a word, he released me and led me inside, closing the door
behind us.
I slept over at his house that night, his parents approving easily,
happy to see us spending time together again. Taking advantage of the time
we had alone before they returned from work, we did nothing but talk.
Turns out he was close to coming over to talk to me himself before
I made the move. I apologized at great length, and told him about Bo's
role in all this.
Before long we were right back to where we had been, exchanging
comments for the sole purpose of making each other laugh. I knew now what
I had in him, and I promised myself I'd never make a foolish mistake like
that again.
We squeezed in his tiny bed when we tired of activity. Our bodies
were all but on top of each other, and neither one of us minded. "It's a
good thing I decided to elbow you in the nose, although I know how much you
hate elbows. We're getting along so well now, I'm thinking about doing it
again soon," I quipped, feeling comfortable speaking about it.
The giggle. It'd been too long since I'd heard that too. It
almost gave me chills when I heard it. "Yeah, you might even say it's the
best thing that ever happened to us," he responded, adding to my attempt at
humor.
'Us' and 'We' were terms we were using regularly. I guess it fit,
but somehow it seemed a little unusual. I pressed my body harder into his,
relishing the feel of it. And I swear I detected a small moan coming from
him, but it was too faint to be definite.
My heart jumped as he pushed back, clearly returning my action. I
searched his eyes to see if they were glinting with mischief, a sure sign
he was joking. But I didn't see that in his eyes this time. I
saw... Consent? Desire? Confusion? Shit, I didn't know what to think.
Sensing my fear, he calmed me down with his boyish laughter. "Just
hold me. Don't search for an explanation. You do that too much."
My jaw dropped. He was right, but how did he know that about me?
At any rate, I'd be a fool not to accept an offer like that from such a
beautiful boy. Feeling encouraged by his words, I reached out and pulled
him tightly against me, holding him as close as I ever had. And it felt
better than anything I had a memory of.
He giggled again. "Was that so hard?" I started to think about
what it meant, this desire of his to be held, but then I stopped myself,
his statement ringing in my ears. Don't search for an explanation. You do
that too much.
I could sense he was glowing from this recent development. His
breathing was soft and gentle, his body warm and fragile. I could only let
out a blissful sigh, the awareness hitting me that the angel I was holding
was far too good for me. But for some reason our paths had crossed, and
even when I nearly screwed it up, our friendship hadn't been destroyed.
Even though I didn't deserve this particularly saintly creature, he
seemed to think I did. Who was I to complain? I watched him with a sense
of almost fierce protectiveness. He deserved nothing less.
8 - September (1 year later)
I filed into the gym along with my class, noting that several of
the bleachers had already been filled for the upcoming assembly. Bo,
breaking the rules as usual, had sneaked in to our class line as we entered
the gym so he could sit by me during the program.
"Hey Bo. Don't you ever get tired of doing what you're not
supposed to?" I greeted him with a smile, actually happy he'd found me.
He shrugged. "It's a stupid rule you have to sit in an assigned
area with the class you come in with anyway. You approve Colby's date to
this dance?" Bo asked me with a grin.
I laughed his question off. There was some truth to it though.
Colby had asked my opinion of a freshman girl, telling me that if I didn't
like her he wouldn't ask her to the dance. It was a flattering thought,
but I didn't exercise the authority he offered me. Besides, the girl he
was going with was chosen as one of the Freshman Queen Candidates, so he
couldn't have done much better if it was attention he wanted.
"No, it wasn't my call," I lied. "I think he just wanted the
chance to walk with her arm in arm in front of the whole school. Not a bad
idea, really. Little player."
It was Bo's turn to laugh as we sat down in the area with the rest
of my class. "Colby? Player? Not yet, but give him time. Especially
after he makes the Varsity team this year," he added with a grin.
Smiling at the indirect boast he'd made, I decided to give his ego
a much-unneeded boost. "Well, that's kind of a high expectation for a
freshman. They're lucky to make the Junior Varsity team. I mean, not
every freshman is as good as you were last year."
Bo had quickly earned a reputation as one of the best athletes in
the school in a short matter of time. He started last year off stunning
the school with his skills as a running back in football season, and then
astonished everyone even more so when his talent for basketball was
displayed.
As a freshman, he was about the best player on the Varsity team,
filled with mostly a bunch of juniors and seniors. His dunking ability had
captured the school's attention in an assembly recognizing the basketball
team as well as during many games. He was becoming a full-blown celebrity.
"It's a good thing I'm black, Billy. You can't see how much I'm
blushing," he finished with a trademark grin. "But seriously, he's got
talent we along with others have experienced firsthand. It's incredible.
I expect him to be in the starting lineup with me this year."
Clearly all the attention hadn't gotten to his head. He was the
same Bo he had been before becoming our high school's representation of a
stud athlete, well known by everyone. "And you too, Billy boy. You tore
it up in that puny JV competition last year. You'll be on Varsity this
year. With us three on the same team, damn, we'll be unstoppable."
I smiled at the thought that in the last few minutes he had dished
out more kind words than he usually did in a month. "As much as I get all
tingly when you compliment me, the assembly's starting, and Colby told me
he and Anna were going to be introduced first. You know how it is, start
with the unimportant freshman candidates, work your way up to seniors."
Bo smirked. "Yeah. Stupid freshmen," he said, knowing full well
that as a sophomore he didn't have much room to talk. "Colby and Anna huh?
What a nice ring that has to it." I shot him a threatening look, and he
shut up, knowing how much I was looking forward to seeing Colby in his cute
little suit, escorting his incredibly lucky date in front of the whole
school.
I waited with a great deal of impatience as the opening speech took
far too long. Not to mention that this was kind of a pep assembly with the
addition of the queen candidates saved for the very end.
So I was forced to watch various cheers, hear numerous coaches talk
about how their teams in season were doing, and put up with the usual
information that makes assemblies so tempting to skip.
When it came time to introduce the two queen candidates from each
grade and their escorts, I started paying attention. The cheesy music
playing in the background wasn't to my liking though.
With fascination that can't be described, I watched as Colby slowly
walked, his arm draped around Anna's, toward their assigned spot that would
eventually form some sort of pattern after the other seven candidates had
been introduced.
He wore a very serious expression, but I knew he was absolutely
loving all the eyes on him. I listened with disinterest as Anna's
information was announced on the PA; stupid random questions such as her
favorite breakfast, her choice of person to be stuck with if stranded on an
island, etc.
Colby's introduction was a little more engaging for me. I listened
intently, the two of them reaching their spot and standing still now, arm
in arm. "Anna is escorted by Colby Bell." A pause, likely for drama. The
music still playing softly. "Colby is the son of Donna and Mark Bell. "If
he had to decide what the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him was, he
would pick the time his friend Billy took him to see an NBA Finals game."
Surprised and touched, I looked at his face and saw him smiling. I
sank back into my seat, almost on another world, no longer hearing what was
being said about Colby. A tear forced itself loose from my eye, and
although I tried to wipe it away before Bo noticed, it was too late.
The audience started clapping, meaning both Colby and Anna's
introduction was over. "You're such a pussy," Bo said with a smile. I
laughed, joining everyone in applauding briefly before the other freshman
queen candidate was to be introduced.
Colby had done it again. And it was quite a clever plan too.
Somehow he had found a way to inform the entire school that he'd been to an
NBA Finals game as well as cause me to feel even more love for him. He
never ran out of surprises or mysterious ploys.
"She doesn't make me laugh like you do though." Colby paused, a
grin forming on his face. "Wanna be my date to the next dance?"
I smiled. "Sure. I promise you'll get some action if you go with
me. Too bad Anna wasn't up for any sex games."
It was the day after the assembly and dance. I'd come from school,
exhausted, and gone right to my bed to sleep. Before too long, I had
awakened to see Colby sitting on the mattress, trying all kinds of little
experiments to wake me up.
If I could pick the best face to wake up to, it'd easily be his.
After succeeding in interrupting my nap, he'd dived right into describing
the events of last night, our conversation taking on the usual twists and
turns, covering everything on our minds.
As a scheme to get attention, he without warning flopped nearly on
top of me. Our faces inches apart, he stared right into my eyes and let
out his still beautiful giggle. He was almost 14 and a half now, but he
was still gorgeous, yet growing up so rapidly along with me.
I loved the way we could share words without speaking. It was rare
that neither one of us had a problem with closeness. I knew the reason for
my desire to be close to him, but for someone presumably straight, Colby
was quite into cuddling situations for his age. Not that I'd ever complain
about it.
How much do you know? I thought to myself, allowing my mind to get
lost in his eyes. "Wanna go to the gym? Hang around and see if Bo's
there?" he asked, the sweetness of his breath tickling me in a pleasant
subtle way.
He's close enough to kiss lightly on the lips. "Sounds good to me.
Just give me a few minutes to get ready." Even with this established,
neither one of us made a move to end the connection we were in. Finally,
he sat up and energetically bounced off the bed.
"Too bad you're kicking me out. It's always a pleasure to see that
sexy body of yours. I'll wait for you downstairs." And then he was gone.
Reluctantly getting out of bed, I grabbed some comfortable workout
clothes. As I slipped into them, my eyes caught something on the desk.
Moving closer to where I could see it, I picked it up and studied it.
It was another picture from the NBA game we'd gone to back in June.
This one was just of him and me. I'd seen the picture before, but Colby
had gotten his dad to enlarge the photo, like the one that was in his room.
He must have put it on my desk before waking me up.
Smiling, I observed the photo. I was pointing something out to him
on the court, and he was leaning over me to look at it. We were both
smiling, but unaware of the picture until we saw the flash. My dad had
unintentionally captured a golden moment between us.
The picture revealed our emotions well, especially since it was a
candid shot. Again, I looked at Colby and thought how happy he looked. So
relaxed and content with me. So trusting. And clearly mine. Nothing
would ever come between our amazing relationship and us.
Placing the photo gently back on the desk, I slowly made my way
down the stairs. On seeing each other, we shared a look in which he knew
I'd seen the picture and greatly enjoyed it. "Ready to go hit the weight
room stud?" I asked with a smile, my eyes meeting with his and confessing
all that I felt for him.
"Let's go. You can give me a piggy-back ride for old time's sake,"
he responded. We left the house, walking down the street together side by
side.
"You're too buff for me to carry you now," I said laughing.
Grinning, he jumped on my back anyway. "Giddy-up." Struggling
mightily to support his weight, I reached behind me and grabbed his legs to
keep from dropping him. "Are you coming on me to now, Billy? That's ok.
I understand you can't help yourself."
I would have laughed, but I was concentrating on staying on my feet
too much. "It's either that or I drop you in the street. Your choice."
He jumped down off me, apparently having a change of heart. "How
about I come on to you instead? Jump on my back, I'll carry you just to
change things around."
Free of his weight, I could laugh again, and took advantage of it.
"You're not that buff. As much as I'd like for you to make a pass at me,
I'll have to decline your offer. Besides, there are more appropriate times
for these things."
We shared another look. It seemed we were on the brink of yet
another development in our friendship, but I wasn't sure if this particular
development would ever turn into anything. And it didn't matter.
The cool September air felt good on my skin. I took a sideways
glance at Colby, always trying to get a peak at his beauty without him
knowing it. That's when he was at his best. And for him, the definition
of the word 'best' had no limitations.
When I'd first decided to take a stab at befriending him, I
expected to get to know him and his faults. But my initial thoughts had
been true: he was perfect. There was nothing he could do that I didn't
fall in love with.
Colby. The name alone was perfect. I knew I'd love who he grew up
to be, even when he wasn't the adorable boy that walked beside me now.
Even when he couldn't tantalize me with his body, even when he couldn't
delight me with his sweet giggle, I'd still think of him in a way I could
no one else.
Just hold me, I could hear him saying. I vowed to myself I'd hold
him every chance I got for as long as he requested it. I'd do anything for
him. That's what our relationship was all about.
I looked at him now, these thoughts playing in my mind, and was
filled with the urge to wrap my arms around him. But I need not be
forceful with him. Those times to hold him would present themselves.
I thought back to that first day we spent together, and how much
we'd changed since then. Our time together was invaluable, and the full
concept of what we meant to each other still hadn't hit me completely.
I'd always felt spring was my favorite season, but now it was for
sure. It was a time where the ugly effects of winter slowly went away, and
things started to heal. And sometimes, wonderful people came into your
life that made every season seem like your favorite.
It takes a very special group of people. As far as him being an
angel, I'd have to look into that. What I did know was that I had never
enjoyed spending time with anyone the way I did with him. Reminding me of
another moment several months back, he broke off in a run, playing his
usual games with me. That giggle of his that I cherished so much echoed in
my ears, and I knew I'd never forget it. I'd never forget him.
Right now though, I still had a lot of wonderful experiences to
share with him, and I fully intended to make the best of it. There was no
limit as to what we could accomplish in our relationship. I heard his
giggle again, farther away this time. Smiling, I sped up to catch him.
Precious time with Colby was ahead.
Slowe00@go.com