Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 19:35:40 -0400
From: Nick <nicksstorypage@gmail.com>
Subject: What's the difference Between me and you? Chapter ten

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jim shouted as he stormed up to
Nick. "Answer me, boy."

Nick stood in silence and Taylor hid behind him. Nick knew that they had
been caught, and that he had plenty of explaining to do.

"What did I ask you to do?" Jim said in a quieter but still irritated
voice.

"Get in the car and wait," Nick answered.

"Now tell me what you and Taylor were just doing," Jim demanded.

"Well, sir," Nick started. "I just thought that maybe..."

"I didn't ask you what you thought, son," Jim interrupted. "I want you to
tell me what you were up too."

Nick looked at the ground and thought for a moment. In his mind, he could
now see that it was a bad idea. He knew before they started that Jim was on
his way out to the car, but they couldn't resist it. Finally, Nick looked
up at his dad and answered.

"We were jacking up the car so we could take the tire off," he answered.

"That's what I thought," Jim said quietly. "Haven't we already talked about
this?"

"Yes sir," Nick said ashamedly. He hated that he got in trouble in front of
Taylor, and the thought that Taylor might be in trouble because he did
something he knew better than to try made him feel worse.

"You two need to go wait inside while I put the car down," Jim said. "I
don't want you getting cold out here. We'll leave when I'm done."

Without a word, Nick and Taylor walked to the front porch and opened the
door, stepping inside and waited quietly for Jim to come and get them.

"Are we in trouble," Taylor asked, looking worried.

"No," Nick answered. "Don't worry about him. He just hates it when I do
that."

Ever since Nick was four, he had an obsession with working on his dad's
car. One of the things he loved to do was jack up Jim's car and take the
front tire off. It wasn't something that Jim appreciated at all. In fact,
he would lose his temper every time he caught Nick doing it. For whatever
reason, however, Nick never got in bad trouble when his dad caught him. The
worst-case scenario was that Jim would yell, like he did today, but that
was even rare. Nick knew that his dad only yelled at him today because they
were about to leave for the movies.

Eventually, Jim walked back into the house to wash his hands, and then he
told Tom and Linda what Nick did. Tom seemed to have a proud look on his
face, while Linda grinned and shook her head at Nick.

"Let's go, nerd," Jim said as he gave Nick a playful shove toward the door.

Nick and Taylor smiled as they walked out to the car, which was now back
down on all four wheels. Nick sat in the back seat with Taylor, and Jim
drove them to the theater.

Sitting in the dark, Nick could still make out the features of Taylor's
face. Every time Taylor laughed, Nick looked at his face. His dimples were
so cute, and even in the dark, Nick could make them out. Whenever their
hands would touch on the armrest, Nick had the urge to take Taylor's hand
and hold it. He even felt like he wanted to kiss it. Finally, Nick stopped
looking at Taylor and paid attention to the movie.

"Get in my belly!" Nick bellowed in the car, making Taylor laugh. He was
able to perfectly mimic the accent of Fat Bastard, and on the way to the
Atlas Cafe, which was actually in the same parking lot as the theatre, he
repeated almost every Fat Bastard line that he could remember from the
movie. He could tell that Taylor was loving every minute of it, so he kept
going. He finally settled down as they were about to go inside.

During lunch, Nick sat next to Taylor and smiled at him over and over
again. He was having so much fun that he didn't want the weekend to end.

"Dad, can Taylor spend the night again," Nick asked. Nick looked over at
Taylor, trying to decide if he wanted too or not. Unfortunately, Taylor was
more interested in his hamburger than the conversation about him spending
another night.

"Did you even ask him if he wanted to," Jim asked.

"Taylor?" Nick started. "Do you want to spend the night again tonight?"

"Is it ok, Mr. James," Taylor asked politely.

"Sure it is, buddy," Jim said. "But you need to ask your dad first, ok?"

"I will," he said. "I know he'll say yes."

Nick sat back in his seat and smiled. He got to spend one more night with
Taylor, just as long as Taylor's dad would let it happen.

"If Mr. Charles says yes, can you take us to Motoworld tomorrow, dad," Nick
asked hopefully.

"If it's not raining, son," Jim said.

"You've got the coolest dad in the world," Taylor said, making Nick
smile. Jim laughed and smiled at both of them. He seemed to have a look of
pride on his face that came from Taylor's comment.

When they got home, Taylor called his dad and got permission to spend the
night again, but he had to come home and get more clothes. It was raining
outside, so Jim drove him home to get his things.

Nick went upstairs with Taylor to his room, and while they were in there,
Nick watched Taylor pick his own shirt and pants.

"Your dad let's you pick out what to wear," Nick asked.

"Yeah," Taylor answered casually. "He doesn't care what I wear."

"I wish my dad let me pick out my stuff," Nick said. "He never lets me
choose."

Taylor shrugged his shoulders and put his stuff in his backpack.

"How cute," Nick said as he spotted Taylor's collection of Scooby Doo
stuffed animals. "I love Scooby Doo."

"He's my favorite," Taylor said shyly.

"Do you sleep with this one," Nick asked, picking a Scooby Doo doll up off
Taylor's bed.

Taylor nodded and smiled, then he walked over to Nick, who handed him the
doll. Taylor held it up to his face and warmly hugged it.

"Bring him if you want to," Nick said. "I sleep with my pooh bear."

"I saw him on your bed," Taylor said.

Nick looked around Taylor's room and saw Scooby Doo everything, even Scooby
Doo wallpaper. Taylor looked at the floor while Nick looked around his
room.

"Bring a movie," Nick said, noticing that Taylor had quite a few Scooby Doo
movies. "We can watch it in my room if you want."

Taylor stuffed a movie in his backpack, but he couldn't get his Scooby Doo
doll to fit, and he was about to leave it on his bed, but Nick picked it up
and carried it for him.

"Look daddy, how cute huh?" Nick said as they made it back downstairs. He
handed Jim the doll, making Taylor blush.

"You got everything you need sport," Charles asked as he walked toward his
son.

"Can I have some more money," Taylor asked. "We might go to Motoworld
tomorrow, and I want to have some money to buy snacks."

"You don't need any money, pal," Jim said. "You can have anything you want
while we're there. You're our guest."

"Did you spend the money I gave you yesterday," Charles asked.

"No, I just wanted you to give me some more," Taylor said, making Jim
laugh.

"I've got you covered, pal," Jim said. "Save your money."

They visited a little while longer, and finally they left. When they got
home, Nick and Taylor went straight upstairs and put the movie Taylor
picked out in the VCR. As the movie was starting, Jim opened the door and
told them he would be in the garage sorting through some of his stuff. When
he closed the door, Nick lay on his stomach on the floor, and Taylor lay
down next to him and smiled at him as the movie was starting. "Do you want
your Scooby," Nick asked.

"Yeah, I kind of do," Taylor said, still smiling. Nick got up and walked on
his knees to his bed, where he grabbed Taylor's Scooby and his Pooh bear
and crawled back to his spot on the floor.

As they watched the movie, Nick was watching Taylor cuddle with his doll,
and he thought it was cute, so he did the same thing with his. After a few
minutes, he looked at Taylor, who was watching him and grinning. Nick
smiled and hugged his bear tighter. "I bet Scooby and Pooh bear are
friends," Nick said.

"I know they are," Taylor said holding his doll out toward Nick, who pushed
his doll into the Scooby doll that Taylor was holding.

"Aww, they're hugging," Nick said. "They love each other."

Taylor smiled and walked on his knees to get closer to Nick, who was
sitting on his ankles and smiling at him. He pressed Scooby's face into
Pooh bears face and made a kissing sound with his mouth.

"They do love each other," Taylor said, agreeing with Nick. They looked at
each other for a moment and grinned. Finally, they both lay back down on
their stomachs and went back to the movie. The floor was starting to get
uncomfortable, so Nick got up and laid on his bed. Taylor got up and
followed him, so Nick moved over, giving Taylor room to get in. While they
lay there watching the movie, Nick made sure that he snuggled as close as
he could to Taylor so he could watch him cuddle his doll.

"Taylor," Nick said.

"What?" Taylor replied as he held his doll close.

"I like this," Nick said.

"You like what," Taylor asked.

Nick sighed and said, "I like watching you hold Scooby. It makes me want to
hug you."

Taylor turned and looked at Nick, smiling. Finally, he said, "You can hug
me if you want to."

"I can," Nick asked.

Taylor nodded at him, and so Nick put his arms around him and squeezed. He
looked in Taylor's eyes and started to get that feeling again. They were
both smiling at each other, and Nick wondered if Taylor felt the same way
he did, so he decided to ask.

"How does it make you feel," Nick asked as he hugged his friend.

"Really good," Taylor answered.

"Does it feel good like it did last night," Nick asked.

Taylor smiled and nodded, then he put his arms around Nick and hugged him
back. Nick squeezed again, and he felt like he never wanted to let go "Are
we friends like Pooh bear and Scooby," Nick asked.

Taylor was grinning as he answered, "Yes."

Nick held on to Taylor as he lay back down on his back, and Taylor snuggled
up to Nick's chest as they held their dolls and watched the movie.

"I wish we would've did this last night," Taylor said. "It feels good."

"Can I feel your butt again," Nick asked.

Taylor nodded and lay still, so Nick ran his hand down Taylor's backside,
and over his bottom. This was making him feel really good, and he didn't
want to stop. He ran his hand all over Taylor's butt, and then he ran it
along his crack. He looked at Taylor, who had a huge smile on his face, so
Nick kept going. He grabbed Taylor's butt with his hand and made his way
back up to his waist. Finally, he slid his hand down Taylor's pants and
began rubbing his crack.

He knew that Taylor was enjoying it, so he did it harder. Taylor moved his
hand down to Nick's waist and started to unbutton Nick's pants. Then he
unbuttoned his own pants, and he got up. They both stood and pulled down
their pants to their ankles, then Nick sat back down on the bed and Taylor
moved in front of him, facing away. Nick ran both of his hands all over
Taylor's butt, then he pulled his cheeks apart and rubbed his nose up and
down Taylor's crack. The scent was making him feel like he wanted even
more, so, holding his face in place, he let the cheeks close on his face
and squeezed them both over and over. Then he took his hand and ran it up
and down Taylor's crack, pressing as hard as he could. Taylor sat down on
Nick's lap while Nick still had his hand buried in his crack, and he put
his nose up to Nick's, inhaling the smell from his bottom that was all over
Nick's face. Nick dug his hand deeper into Taylor's crack, running it back
and forth until Taylor finally got up and moved to sit on the bed.

Nick stood up and moved in front of Taylor, waiting to feel his hands all
over his bottom. Nick felt Taylor pull his cheeks apart and put his face in
his crack. Nick wanted to push his butt back more than anything, but
instead, he let Taylor do what he wanted. Taylor was rubbing his cheek up
against Nick's butt cheek, and he used one hand to hold Nick's cheeks
apart, and the other to run up and down Nick's crack. Nick could hear
Taylor taking deep breaths as he stood there. He looked back and smiled
down at Taylor, who was concentrating on Nick's crack. He felt a hard
tingle run up his spine as Taylor ran his fingertips back and forth up his
crack. Nick was having feelings in his body he never felt before, and he
wanted more, so he pushed back with his butt. He lifted his own fingers to
his nose and inhaled the aroma of Taylor as his bottom tingled. He didn't
want it to end, and as he felt Taylor start to rub his hole with
fingertips, he felt a tiny explosion in his body and he felt like he had to
catch his breath over and over again.

Finally it was over. He sat on Taylor's lap and let him play in his crack
for a little bit longer, but he was satisfied. As he rubbed Nick's hole,
Taylor said, "Hug me." Nick wrapped his arms around Taylor and hugged him
for a long time. Finally, Taylor took his hands out of Nick's crack and
hugged him back. Nick laid his head on Taylor's shoulder and said, "That
felt so good to me."

"I liked it too," Taylor said.

Nick wondered if they would get to do it again when they went to bed that
night. He was sure that they would be sleeping in his room. Tom put the
tent away that morning before they had even decided what movie they were
going to watch.

They got up and pulled up their pants, then they sat on the beanbag
together and watched the rest of the movie. While they were watching, Nick
kept grabbing Taylor's hand and sniffing it, making Taylor smile. Finally,
as the movie was ending, he grabbed both of Taylor's hands and kissed them,
as if he were kissing a lady's hand.

"You're silly, Nick," Taylor said sweetly when as he pulled his hands
away. Nick got up and walked to the bathroom, and Taylor came with him. As
Nick sat on the toilet, he playfully reached for Taylor's bottom again.

"I want to do what you did to me," Nick said, "Please?"

Taylor undid his pants again and turned away from Nick, who grabbed
Taylor's pants and started to pull them down. Just as he was about to slide
his hand inside of Taylor's crack, there was a knock on the door.

"Nick," Jim called.

"What dad?" Nick answered nervously.

"When you boys are done in here you need to come eat dinner, ok?" Jim said
through the door.

"Yes sir," Nick said. "I'm almost done."

They listened as Jim walked back down the stairs, then Taylor pulled his
pants up and Nick finished and got off. They washed their hands and faces,
then they went downstairs and ate dinner.

While he ate, the only thing Nick could think about was what he just did
with Taylor. He enjoyed every part of it, and the only thing he wished was
that his dad hadn't interrupted what he was about to do in the bathroom.

After dinner, Nick and Taylor stayed downstairs and watched TV for a while
with Jim, Tom and Linda. Eventually, Taylor fell asleep on the couch, and
Nick was starting to yawn.

"You look tired, buddy," Jim said. "Why don't you go to bed?"

"What about Taylor," Nick asked.

"We'll get him upstairs," Jim answered. He walked over to Nick and leaned
down to kiss him on the cheek. Nick shook Taylor, who just rolled over and
fell back to sleep. Jim scooped him up with one arm, Nick stood up on the
couch and let Jim grab him around the waist with the other one, and he
carried them both upstairs to bed. Nick waved to his grandparents as Jim
made his way up the stairs, and soon they were in Nick's room. From behind
Jims head, Nick watched Taylor sleep on his dads shoulder, and he looked so
cute. Jim let Nick down first, then he laid Taylor down on Nick's bed.

"I'll help him get his jammies on dad," Nick said.

"Are you sure buddy," Jim asked.

"Yes sir," Nick said. "He has to sleep in his undies. He doesn't wear
jammies to bed."

"Well let's get yours on," Jim said

"Did you wash mine," Nick asked

Jim sighed and said, "No, I forgot. Sorry honey."

"It's ok daddy," Nick said, smiling sweetly. "I'll just wear my undies and
a shirt."

"Are you sure buddy?" Jim asked. Nick nodded and said, "I am."

"Ok, buddy, get in bed then," Jim said, leaning down to kiss Nick
again. "I'll come in and tuck you guys in before I go to bed."

"I love you daddy," Nick said.

"I love you too babe," Jim said. Nick walked up to his dad and hugged him,
then as Jim walked out to the hall, Nick closed the door. He listened for
Jim to walk down the stairs, then he walked over to his bed and turned on
the lamp that was next to it. He walked over and turned off the light
switch, making the room a little darker, then he sat on the bed and woke
Taylor up. Taylor opened his eyes, and Nick smiled at him.

"How did I get here," Taylor asked.

"My dad carried us," Nick said.

"Both of us fell asleep," Taylor asked.

"No, just you. But I wanted to see you sleeping on his shoulder," Nick
said. "You looked so cute."

Taylor smiled and sat up.

"We have to get our pants and shirts off," Nick said. He stood up and
pulled his jeans off completely, and then he pulled off his shirt. Taylor
was watching him undress, then he got up and did the same thing. When he
got his pants off, Nick paid close attention to his butt, which he thought
looked even hotter in white underwear than it did in his jeans. Nick walked
over to Taylor and grabbed his hands again, then he held them up to his
face and inhaled.

"What do they smell like," Taylor asked.

"Soap, and Kool-Aid," Nick said smiling.

Taylor turned around and Nick started to rub his bottom again through his
white underwear. Nick got on his knees and ran his hand up inside Taylor's
crack as hard as he could. He did this for a while, then he buried his face
in Taylor's crack, sniffing through his underwear. Finally, he found
Taylor's hole through the cloth barrier and started to rub it. He could
tell from the noises that were coming from Taylor that he was enjoying the
feeling, so he rubbed harder. Taylor was pressing back with his bottom now,
and Nick was rubbing as hard as his hand could. He looked up and saw Taylor
looking back at him with a naughty look on his face, so he used his fingers
and pushed against Taylor's hole, running the underwear up inside of it. He
reached up around his waist and pulled them down, and finally he started to
work on the hole with his bare hands, rubbing it and pressing against it
with his fingertips. He parted Taylor's cheeks with his hands, then he
buried his nose up inside of it, rubbing it against the area of his hole,
enjoying the feeling of having Taylor's bottom all over his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, and when he did, he inhaled Taylor's
sweet aroma. He used one hand to pull Taylor's cheeks apart and the other
to run his fingers over Taylor's hole. He looked up at Taylor, who had
lifted one of his legs and put it on the bed, and he saw him biting his
bottom lip. Nick stood up, but he kept rubbing Taylor's hole. Taylor turned
around and hugged him, and then he lowered his own hands around Nick, and
started to run his hands over Nick's bottom. Nick still had his hands in
Taylor's crack, but Taylor let go of the hug and sat on the bed. Nick
turned around and put his bottom in Taylor's face.

Taylor ran his hands all over Nick's bottom, which was still covered with
his own underwear. Taylor started to run his hands up and down Nick's crack
with force, then he buried his face in it, and Nick could hear him
sniffing. Nick could feel Taylor's nose pressing up on his crack, so he
pushed his butt out some more, making sure that Taylor would be able to get
as much of his face in his crack as he could. He felt Taylor's fingertips
go to his hole, which Taylor seemed to have no trouble finding. Nick could
feel the fabric rubbing against his hole as he let the feeling take over
his whole body. The tingling was back, and it was stronger than before. His
bottom felt somehow better than it did earlier that evening, and he was
loving every second of it. He looked back down at Taylor, who had his nose
still buried up in his crack. He decided to lift a leg to let Taylor dig
his fingers in deeper, and when he did, he felt Taylor's finger and his
underwear start to move up his hole. The tingling was getting even stronger
and Nick heard himself start to make small noises. As Taylor's finger was
moving around inside of his hole, surrounded by the fabric of his
underwear, Nick was making more and more noise. Finally, the tingling felt
so good that Nick couldn't control his urges anymore, and he pushed back
with his butt hole, forcing Taylor's finger out of his hole, but Taylor
wasn't done yet. Nick lay down on the bed, and Taylor told him to roll
over. When he did, Taylor put his hand down Nick's underwear and used his
finger to rub Nick's hole again. Nick felt Taylor pull his underwear off
him, and when they were around his ankles, Nick used his feet to kick them
off, then he spread his legs apart. Taylor rubbed Nick's hole for a long
time with his fingers, then he buried his nose in Nick's crack once
more. Then he crawled back up to where Nick was laying his head and he laid
his head next to his and smiled.

"Do you love me like Pooh bear loves Scooby," Nick asked.

Taylor nodded his head and looked at Nick, smiling.

"I love you that way too," Nick said. He sat up and faced Taylor, who had
sat up himself. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him with all his
might.

"Do you want to hold Pooh bear tonight and I'll hold Scooby," Nick asked.

"Ok," Taylor said shyly.

Nick picked up Scooby, then he handed Taylor Pooh bear. He hugged Scooby,
then he gave him a kiss on the nose and smiled.

"I think Scooby's cute, just like you are," Nick said.

"I think Pooh is cute too," Taylor said. "So are you."

Taylor got out of the bed and got both pair of underwear, and he held them
both up to his face and sniffed, then he smiled at Nick and tossed him
his. Nick held his underwear up and found the area with Taylor's finger
imprint in it. He knew that this was the area that had been in his hole, so
he held it to his nose and sniffed it. Then he grabbed Taylor's from him
and held them up to his nose. Taylor crawled to the spot beside him, and
they lay down on the bed and took turns rubbing each other's
bottoms. Finally, they were getting sleepy, so they put there underwear
back on and went to sleep.

Nick felt a kiss on his forehead, so he opened his eyes and saw his dad
standing over him, smiling. Taylor was snuggled up to his chest, hugging
him while he slept.

"Honey, one you needs a bath tomorrow," Jim said. "It smells terrible in
here."

"Sorry dad," Nick said. "I'll take one tomorrow. So will Taylor.'"

"Ok," Jim said. "I'll see you in the morning, baby."

"Goodnight daddy," Nick said.

Jim kissed him one more time, then he looked at Taylor and smiled at Nick,
who looked up at him and smiled.

"He's cute, huh," Nick said, smiling.

Jim smiled and turned off the lamp, and then he closed the door. Nick fell
back to sleep right after he left the room

* * *

Nick sat in the chair as people shuffled past him, walking in and out of
the office to gather paperwork and check their boxes. Most of them seemed
to be in a hurry. Nick knew he wasn't going anywhere soon. At least not
until his dad or one of his grandparents got there to pick him up. Either
way, he felt humiliated for being there.

Nick wondered who was going to pick him up. It was Jim's day off, and he
was moving all of their furniture into the new house. Tom and Linda were
home, but maybe they were busy helping Jim. After about 30 minutes had
passed, Nick started to worry that no one had come to get him.

"Nickolas," he heard a soft voice say as he was lost in thought. He looked
up and saw Mr. Gregory standing in front of him. "Can you please come in my
office?"

"Yes sir," Nick said as he stood up and followed his principal. They went
into the office, and Mr. Gregory motioned for Nick to sit down.

"Nickolas, I'm trying to figure out what happened," Mr. Gregory said with a
genuine look of concern on his face. "I thought you were making friends
with everyone."

"I am, sir," Nick said nervously. "Danny kicked my feet out from under me
and called me a bad word."

"What bad word did he call you," the principal asked.

"Can I say it," Nick asked.

"If you have to," Mr. Gregory said.

Nick looked to his right, then to his left, then he leaned forward in his
chair, then, almost in a whisper, he said "asshole."

The look of concern on Mr. Gregory's face didn't change at all, and he
continued with his questions.

"Can you tell me if you think that maybe you might have done something to
upset Danny," he asked.

"No sir," Nick said. "He always makes fun of the way I talk. He says I
sound like a beach bum."

"What do you say to him when he says that about you," he asked.

"I try to ignore him," Nick answered semi honestly. The truth was that
Danny started picking on Nick that week, but Nick almost never just let it
go. He usually had some kind of insult sitting on the tip of his tongue,
and he was ready to fire it off at a moments notice.

This morning as Nick was walking from the bus with Taylor to his class,
Danny, who was in the 5th grade, started to mimic everything Nick was
saying to Taylor, and Nick decided to strike back where it hurt.

"Why don't you shut your fat mouth, you tub of lard," Nick said, making
light of Danny's obvious weight problem. "I could imitate you, but I would
need a whole box of Twinkies to do it right." Then Nick pretended to eat
really fast, and made sounds like he was breathing hard from stuffing his
face. From the look on Danny's face, Nick knew that he had won. He turned
around and started to walk off when his feet came out from under him and he
heard Danny call him an asshole. Nick scrambled to his feet and ran up on
Danny, balling up his fists and throwing them over and over into his face,
aiming for his nose, which he hit at least once. When a male teacher
finally separated them, Danny was crying and his nose was bleeding
everywhere. Nick's heart was racing as fast as it ever had, and he had a
hard time calming down as the male teacher hauled both of them to the
office.

"Danny said that you were making fun of him first," Mr. Gregory said. "Is
that true?"

"No sir," Nick said. "He was making fun of me and all I was doing was
talking to my friend."

Mr. Gregory's phone rang and he picked it up, then he excused himself for a
few moments. He returned shortly thereafter with Jim, who had a worried
look on his face. Nick looked up at his dad, but had to look away. He knew
that no matter what the details were, he was busted. Jim had no patience
for Nick getting into trouble at school, and he had made that perfectly
clear in the past. Anytime Nick even brought home a note saying that he had
his name written on the board, Jim would explode at first, then calmly
ground Nick for a couple of days.

Nick told his story again, and Jim gave him a disapproving
look. Mr. Gregory told Jim that Nick would be allowed to come back the next
day, but that if he even got warned for anything, he would be suspended for
the rest of the week. Nick looked up at his dad, who gave him a nod, then
he turned to Mr. Gregory and thanked him for not suspending him. He also
promised not to get into any more trouble.

The ride home was silent, and Nick had a bad feeling in his gut about what
that meant. When they pulled up to the house, Nick quietly walked upstairs
without having to be told to do so. Jim followed him to his room and closed
the door behind him.

"I want you to tell me what you could have done differently, son," Jim
said.

"I could have told on him," Nick said, but it sounded like more of a
question.

"Yes you could have," Jim said. "But instead you made a bad situation
worse, Nick. You know better than to fight at school."

Jim's voice was calm and steady, and as he spoke, Nick couldn't detect even
a small hint of anger in it. Nick knew that this was bad news for him, but
he tried not to let his worry show.

"Am I grounded dad," Nick asked.

"Yes you are, son," Jim said sighing.

"For how long," Nick asked.

"We'll see," Jim answered. "It all depends on how well you behave yourself
from this moment on."

"I'm sorry I got in a fight dad," Nick said sadly. "I won't do it again."

"Son, you know better," Jim said, sounding disappointed. "When you were
learning how to box, what did Mr. M teach you first?"

"That my hands were weapons," Nick answered. Nick knew that he knew how to
fight better than anyone in his school. He started boxing lessons before he
started kindergarten, and he was always taught to respect his hands the way
he was to respect a gun.

"So why did you use them in anger," Jim asked.

"I forgot sir," Nick said, starting to cry and feeling ashamed.

"Should I call Mr. M and let him know that you broke one of his rules," Jim
asked.

"No sir," Nick almost begged. "He'll be mad at me."

Nick had a bond with his boxing instructor, who used to fight
professionally. They were more than student and teacher. They were buddies,
and Nick didn't want him to be mad or disappointed in him.

"What are you going to do in the future, son," Jim asked.

"Only use my hands in self defense," Nick answered.

"You're in time out for the rest of the day," Jim said. "That means you
don't turn on your TV, you don't read, you don't play. You just need to sit
in time out."

"Yes sir," Nick said tearfully.

Jim led him to his bed, where he laid down on top of the covers and looked
up at his dad. Jim leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead, then he
said, "I love you buddy, but I'm not happy about this."

"I love you too daddy," Nick said. "I won't do it again."

Jim closed the door on his way out of the room, and Nick breathed a small
sigh of relief. He was more worried about a spanking than anything. Jim's
calm behavior was a sure sign that Nick was in for a whipping, but instead,
he got off with time out. He smiled and pulled his fishing magazine out
from behind his bed and started to read.

It was 3:30 when Nick heard the doorbell ring. He got up and looked out the
window, and he saw Taylor riding his bike slowly from the yard. Nick felt
horrible. Not only had he let his dad down and gotten in trouble at school,
he let his best friend down too. He watched sadly as Taylor rode toward the
end of the block and back onto the trail.

Nick sat back on his bed, overcome with sadness. He had a lump in his
throat that felt like it was growing, and soon it turned to tears, which
began streaming down his face. He couldn't stop crying now, and he laid his
head on his pillow and let himself cry as he thought about not seeing
Taylor. He wondered if being grounded meant that he wouldn't get to see
Taylor again tomorrow, or the next day. The thought was starting to make
him sick to his stomach; just like he felt the day he and his papu dropped
his dad off at the airport in Sacramento. Finally, the feeling was
overwhelming, and he ran to the bathroom as fast as he could to throw up,
but he only made it as far as the bathroom door, which he swung open. Nick
threw up on the floor of the bathroom, and the vomit was going
everywhere. As his head spun and he saw little flashes of light in front of
him immediately after throwing up, he felt his father grab his hand.

"Oh no," Nick said as his eyes came back into focus and he saw the mess he
made. He started to cry when he realized what he did.

"Come on buddy," Jim said, leading him back to his room. "It's going to be
ok."

Nick sat down on his bed and cried loudly while Jim went back in the
hallway to get Nick a washrag. He returned with it and ran it over Nick's
face, wiping away the throw up and tears. Jim got, went back into the
bathroom, and started cleaning. Nick sat on his bed and cried until Linda
came upstairs to see what was wrong. She found out what happened, then she
led Nick to the bathroom in her and Tom's room and helped him wash out his
mouth, then she took him back to his room and helped him change clothes.

After Jim finished cleaning up the mess, he came back into Nick's room and
sat down on his bed.

"Baby what happened," he asked as he held his arms out for Nick to come to
him.

Nick crawled to his dad's arms from where he was laying. Jim picked him up
and cradled him while he sat on the bed. He put his hands on Nick's cheeks
and his forehead.

"You don't feel hot, babe," Jim said.

"That's not why I got sick dad," Nick said, still crying.

"What is it then," Jim asked, rocking Nick back and forth. "Why are you
still so upset honey?"

"I wanted Taylor to visit me," Nick confessed. "You made him go home."

"You got that upset over not seeing Taylor, son," Jim asked.

Nick nodded and sobbed, then he snuggled closer to his dad, who was still
rocking him.

"I guess he's your best friend right now, huh?" Jim said.

"He is, daddy," Nick sobbed. "I just like being around him."

"You guys are pretty close," Jim asked.

Nick nodded again and Jim wiped a tear from his face.

"Is that why you got sick," Jim asked.

"Yes," Nick said, starting to cry again.

"Tell me what you think of Taylor, son," Jim said, running his fingers
through Nick's hair. Nick snuggled even closer to his dad than he had
before, then he thought about it and smiled.

"I think he's sweet, and he's cute, and he's funny," Nick said. "He makes
me feel good."

"How," Jim asked softly, still rocking Nick in his arms.

"He just does," Nick said. "He told me that he loves me a lot, and I love
him a lot too. I really like him."

Jim smiled at Nick, and they sat quietly on the bed for a long
time. Finally, Nick spoke.

"Dad," Nick started.

"Yes son," Jim said.

"I want Taylor to spend the night when we move in to our new house. Am I
still grounded when we move?" Nick asked, knowing that they would be moving
in on Friday night.

"No," Jim said. "You aren't grounded anymore at all, son."

"I'm not," Nick asked.

"No, sweetheart, you aren't," Jim said. "If you want to go ride your bike
to Taylor's, you can."

"Can we just stay here for a little bit first?" Nick said, not wanting his
dad to put him down.

"Sure we can, buddy," Jim said. "I guess we haven't really had time to just
sit together in a while, have we?"

"No," Nick answered. "I missed it."

"I missed it too baby," Jim said as held Nick, swinging him from side to
side and smiling down at him.

"Am I going to have a son when I grow up," Nick asked as he looked up at
his dad.

"Maybe," Jim said. "If you're lucky, he'll be as sweet as you are."

"I love you daddy," Nick said.

"I love you too baby," Jim said as he kissed his son on the cheek and held
him closer.

Nick never made it out to ride his bike that evening. Instead, he stayed
home and clung to his dad all night, and eventually, he fell asleep in Jims
lap while they sat on the couch.

He felt Jim lifting him up and carrying him up the stairs, so he opened his
eyes to talk.

"Is it my bed time," Nick asked as his dad carried him down the hall to his
room.

"Yeah buddy, it is," Jim said.

"Will you take me to the bathroom please," Nick asked.

Jim carried him to the bathroom, and he helped Nick, who was still
half-asleep, sit on the toilet.

"Do I have to take a bath tonight," Nick asked while Jim sat on the edge of
the tub and waited for him to finish.

"Not tonight buddy," Jim answered. "You can take a shower with me in the
morning, ok?"

"Ok, dad," Nick said.

"I want to sleep with you tonight," Nick said.

"You can son," Jim said.

Nick finished and Jim walked him to the sink, where he helped him wash his
hands, then he picked him back up and carried him down the hall to his
room. When they got to Nick's room, he put Nick's pajamas on him. Nick was
still half-asleep, so all he could feel was his clothes being taken off,
and his pajamas being put on him. Finally, Jim scooped him up and took him
to his room, where they laid down on the bed. Nick could tell that Jim
wanted to be close to him that night, so he snuggled up to his dad and
enjoyed the feeling of his dad rubbing his back. It made him feel safe, and
eventually, he fell back asleep.



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