A Class by Himself 6
It was one of those days where the rain seemed to just materialize out of thin air. I started out your average sunny day, and by the time you got a chance to look out of the window again, the storm was already in progress. As I came out of my 2nd period class, I saw Tanner waiting to walk with me to my next classroom as always. But he seemed preoccupied with the rain. He was sitting on one of the school's large window sills and staring out the window, lost in a dreamworld of his own making. As I approached him, it almost felt wrong to snap him out of it. I just kept walking closer, admiring his beauty as his gaze pierced the window and danced in the rain outside. His face was so blank at that moment. As though his mind and spirit were content to just be completely absorbed in his thoughts. His hair was perfection, his slim body leaned delicately against the glass, one leg propped up and one foot on the floor. It was almost enough to make me as nervous as I was the first day I saw him on the morning bus. It was that sudden lightning strike of reality that made me say "Wow! I'm actually in LOVE with this boy!" I walked right up to him without him even seeing me, and said hello.
"Oh...hey Derrick. Sorry, I was just thinking." He smiled at me, but never once lost that calmness. That dazed appearance that let you know that he was in a whole different dimension at that moment.
"Anything special?" I asked.
"Just how much I love you. And how much I wish I could be enjoying this rain with you...somewhere else...alone." He sighed, and even though he was still smiling weakly, he seemed kind of sad about it.
"Me too." We were in a hallway full of students, so even the slightest touch could mean exposure. But somehow, that didn't seem all that bad. I hated this. Tanner evidently had something on his mind, and good or bad, I wanted to hug him. I wanted to plant a kiss on his lips and hold him close to me while I whispered sweet phrases and comforting words in his ear. If only we lived in a world where people minded their own business...something like that might be possible.
We kept our eye contact for a while, and I felt it in my heart when his smile returned to his face. "So are you still coming over tonight?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. But I told an old friend of mine that I'd come to his party too. I'll just be hanging out for a few minutes or so. Then I'm all yours dude. Lord knows I wouldn't pass up a chance to spend time with your family." I said with a hint of sarcasm.
"What? You know, it may sound like bullshit, but I think they're really starting to like you. Seriously."
Tanner was a good student, an awesome friend, and an even better kisser...but he was a TERRIBLE liar! But I played along with a grin. "Oh really now? They really like me, huh?"
"Yeah. Why just yesterday they were telling me how much they...um...they were just saying how..." I just raised an eyebrow and he knew the gig was up. "OK! OK already! But they mean well, honestly. Don't take it personal, my family doesn't like anybody. You don't know how hard it is to get them to like each other half the time."
"Exactly. And that's while I'll be doing all I can to stay out of the way all night so they don't have to deal with my awful presence in their kingdom."
"I know, I know...I'm sorry dude. Trust me, if I could trade in my family for a new model, I would. They won't bother you too much, I'll do what I can tonight to keep them away from you. Promise."
"It's alright. Really."
"No...no it's not alright. They're going to be nice to you or I'll threaten them by saying that I'll turn gay and not produce them any children to inherit the family jewels." He giggled and I couldn't help but want to kiss him all the more. I leaned closer, so tempted, so intrigued about what would happen if all these people were to find out that their golden boy was in love with the school outcast. But paranoia got the best of me, and I just settled for being close enough to catch a whiff of the wonderful scent that was Tanner's shampoo from his morning shower. Then I regretfully leaned back against the wall.
I smiled sweetly in Tanner's direction, and held my eye contact long enough to let him know what I was feeling. He could practically read my mind at this point, and I saw that recognition of my affections in his eyes. I wasn't sure if it made him 'frisky', or saddened him more to not be able to touch me. I mouthed the words 'I love you' and he responded the same way. He stood up, giving me his hand, and helped me to my feet to walk me to class. But just as we pulled ourselves away from the rainy portrait of the window, I saw Chris standing on the other side of the hall. He was looking right at me, and I didn't know how long he had been standing there. I stopped in my tracks, wondering what kind of rude asinine remark I could expect from him. But he didn't say anything at all. It was probably only because Tanner was there. If I had been alone, he probably would have gotten a few cheap shots at my self esteem before I got to my next class. It was his duty as 'someone better than me'. However, as strange as it sounds, I think he actually had this feeling of respect for Tanner. Even though Tanner was probably more like a 'competitor' to his image than an actual friend, I think a part of him actually wanted to get to know Tanner and be on his side. Like he had plans to form an alliance and have the two of them take over the entire school together. They would probably succeed too. It was a weird concept, but most of the kids who wouldn't spit on me before, all took notice of me now. They hated me and admired me at the same time. After all, Tanner was a bit of an enigma to everybody but me. I was the only one he told his secrets to, the only one he ate lunch with, the only one he spoke to in the halls. At least at any length. The others tried to get close to him, oh man how they tried, but he didn't WANT to be closer to them. All he wanted was me, and he never hesitated to tell me so. How's that for an ego boost.
Chris just kind of looked at me, and then walked away without a single word. I don't think Tanner even noticed he was there. And if he did, then he didn't care. Just as well, nobody needs to be reminded how much people despise them ALL of the time. Tanner and I walked all the way down the hall and he dropped me off while heading on to his next class. There was such a feeling of...I don't know...this tingly sensation that flowed freely through my body whenever I thought about him. Or talked about him. Or thought about him. Or even heard his name. I just used 90% of my day to think of my boyfriend moving in slow motion, savoring every detail. Every breath that I took was a treasured one, and it made it seem like the whole world was full of gumdrops and lollipops. I had been told how silly and goofy love could be. And I always thought that the whole idea was a corny vision created by some guy with the creativity of a potato. Always thinking, 'fine, you're in love. But for God's sake quit being so stupid about it!' I always thought that it would never be ME grinning like some idiot and making kissy faces across a crowded room. Not me! But those weren't just crazy visions. It wasn't the cheesy ramblings of a five year old or the result of a mushy greeting card. It was REALLY like that! When the love is real, it truly is that silly, that fun, that spectacular. To just want to touch and be close to someone EVERY single second of the day! To think about them constantly. To know in your heart, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you would deny your soul mate absolutely nothing...that's a hard feeling to have, much less describe. Nobody realizes it when it's happening to them, but looking back on it, they all go, 'what the hell was I on back then?' I wonder if I'll ever look back at myself ten years from now and see just how utterly ridiculous I am whenever Tanner is around me. Who knows? Who cares? As long as Tanner is still in my arms that day, so we can share that laugh together.
I should have known that it was coming, but there was no way to avoid it, so why try? I later went to my gym class and of course, Chris was in there getting dressed and cracking jokes with the others. I just walked passed him, hoping to get away without the hazing. Psh! So much for THAT strategy! "What's up slug?" He said. He started calling me that about two weeks earlier, implying that I just lived and rummaged in filth. For an asshole, he had a creative spark every now and then.
I ignored him, even with his cronies watching and egging him on with their laughter. I just didn't have the heart to battle it out with the likes of Chris at that moment. Life was good, and the last thing I needed was another headache. I just got undressed in my own little corner of the locker room without making any contact at all. After he tried to get a rise out of me two or three times without a reply, he got tired of the game and just blew me off. I guess my mom was right. That trick really DOES work every once in a while. So after a few minutes, the room started to empty little by little until only Chris, me, and a few stragglers remained.
As Chris stripped down to nothing but his boxer shorts, I was tempted to look. Just one more look, that's all. What can I say, he had a REALLY cute ass! It was definitely drool-worthy. If only I could detach it from the rest of him and take it home with me. His class was having swimming lessons now, so I knew that he'd be changing into his tight little Speedo trunks any second, and I'd get a chance to let my eyes roam over those globes just like they did last time. So I slowed down with my activities getting into uniform, and took a few sneaky peeks at what he was up to. I kept glancing over, out of the corner of my eye, and then I saw him pull his shorts down. Exposing the beautifully tan-lined cheeks that I had been dying to see again since the first time. I looked directly at them as he bent over and wiggled into his trunks. Mmmmm...it was VERY cool to watch. I was trying hard not to stare, but it was hard not to look. They were such perky little buns, with a smooth, tight, frictionless surface that made you want to just reach out and grab them. Better yet, to rub my face back and forth against them. THAT would be sweet!
Then, just as I was taking an especially long look at him, he turned around. I saw a flash of his testicles, the ridge of a well sculpted, nicely sized penis, and a thin blond patch of pubic hair. It had whipped around so fast that it jiggled slightly, and I wasn't able to look away fast enough. So I just diverted my eyes to the floor and prayed that he didn't catch me.
"What are you doing?" He asked. He seemed slightly irritated.
"Who me?" Nice stall tactic dork! "Nothing...." And I attempted to pretend that it never happened. But I could tell that he was watching me. Did he know?
"Derrick..." He started, sounding like he was about to pound the shit out of me, but just then, half the Lacrosse team came into the locker room and stopped to pat Chris on the back.
"Chris! Dude! Listen, we've got this little 'project' going on this afternoon, why don't you come join us?" Said one of them.
"I already told you guys...I don't want anything to do with that. And you shouldn't either. Leave it alone, we've got other things to worry about." Chris said. But the others just roasted him by laughing and saying he was a wuss for not going. Whatever they had planned, I guessed it must have been some kind of macho bullshit thing, they sure wanted Chris to go. "Come on, do you know what the coach will do to you if you guys go through with this? We can make the finals this year. Don't do it. C'mon Clint...I know YOU'RE with me. Aren't you?"
But Clint just smiled, and the others piped in. "Clint's the gel that's holding the whole thing together bro! He's the most important part! It's time this kid got what he deserved." Jocks...whatever. They probably were planning to scare some poor little girl senseless because she stepped on their lawn. Who knows what these lunk heads do after school? But the cool thing was seeing Chris being seen as...normal, or maybe even less than average, among his peers. They teased and ribbed him as an equal. I must say, after seeing most of the kids around here falling all over him like he was some kind of God, this was a totally different experience. I listened to their conversation for a while, but as soon as I heard it winding down, I decided to high tail it out of there before he remembered that I was watching him. Too late.
The other guys left the room before I could get fully dressed, leaving Chris in nothing but some skimpy swim speedos. The room fell dead silent, and I looked over to make sure that he wasn't getting ready to smash me into a bloody pulp. He was blushing! Actually blushing, like he was scared that I was going to do something perverted to him. It was weird. All this time, never even a hint of fear or shame from this boy, and suddenly he was making sure to cover himself up with his towel and looking to see if I was still watching. Hahahaha, maybe he was a homophobe in the worst way. Maybe this was the one way to scare him off for good. Ahhh....the possibilities. Finally, 'Derrick the Destitute' wins a round. I walked right by him and felt good about actually getting to him for a change. I was almost tempted to shout "BOO" and scare the shit out of him. But why push it? I was happy with the result as it was. It was enough to make me feel good for the rest of the school day.
Tanner and I rode the bus home together, the rain pelting the windows harshly as the thunder rumbled around us. Tanner always took the window seat, and as I glanced over at him, I noticed he was mesmerized once again. Looking at the reflection of the raindrops on the bus window being cast onto his face, it almost gave the appearance that he was crying. The shadows of raindrops gliding down his cheeks. "Are you alright dude?" I asked.
"I'm fine. I just...I love rain, you know. There's such a peaceful vibe to it. A rhythm, a calmness, a sound. It just fascinates me sometimes." I secretly took a hold of Tanner's hand and put it in mine. He looked at me with an intensity that was unbalanced, more lust than anything else. I think the rain was just making him really horny! "So, you're coming to my little family gathering tonight, right? Derrick, you have to come. Don't flake out on me, k?" He said, his finger tickling the palm of my hand.
"Yeah, I'll be there. I promise. As soon as I find a reason to run out of this other party." I said.
"Who's it for?"
"Just a big get together. Some of my friends from my old school. It's strange, but I really miss that place sometimes." When I thought about it, as much as I loved Tanner, it was nice to be a part of the in-crowd once. At least from what I remember...it had been so long. Almost a year. I was wondering if the others would even remember me. I'm sure even my old friends had replaced me with new 'stand ins' by now. But I promised some people that I'd go, and I'm going. I'll just make an appearance, and dodge out twenty minutes later so at least people can say 'Derrick was here'. Then again, what if they DID remember me? What if I had a great time, and left to go to Tanner's parent's party where everybody and their children were these stuffy rich types who were all either snobs, brats, jerks, or egomaniacs. And some fell into ALL of those categories at once. They were true works of art indeed. I swear, if one more person asked me what my parents do for a living, I was going to stab them with that weird shaped utensil on my place mat that I have no idea how to use. Who CARES what my parents do? I'm a teenager for goodness sakes! Tell me to stay in school, slip me a quarter, and leave me alone. What other conversation do I really need to engage in with an adult anyway at these things?
"Thinking about the party?" Tanner asked me.
"Huh? Hehehe how did you know?"
"You always get this look on your face when you're thinking about my family. Kinda like the face you make when you eat an oyster for the very first time."
"I've never had an oyster before." I smiled.
"Well...believe me, that's the face. Listen, if you really don't want to go, I won't make you. You've been to enough of my little family functions and suffered enough of their abuse to last you a lifetime. I'll understand."
"Hmmm...let me think. Will you be there?" I asked.
"I kinda have to be." He said smiling sadly.
"Then I'm sure it'll be great. I'll be there. Not for them. For you." He looked back at me and seemed to dazed to even smile. "And for the free food." I added. And he slugged me in the arm as his smile spread out in all its glory.
We didn't say much else for the rest of the bus ride to his house. We just exchanged loving looks and a few secret touches of the other's leg. Then he got up and waved goodbye as he walked the rest of the way home. He left me his umbrella and ran home in the rain because I didn't have one and my house was further from the bus stop than his. He never stopped thinking about me, never. It's good to know that it wasn't just me. I really wanted to kiss him before he left. I'll have to make up for it later.
I got home and cleaned up to get ready to go out to this party. I figured 8 o'clock was a pretty decent time to show up. You've gotta pick a good time, you know? Otherwise, you'll look like a geek. Just a tip I learned the hard way I suppose. But nothing looked right. All of my clothes seemed to be either old or too fancy for a hometown party. I didn't want them thinking I had turned preppy on them. I picked out something that sort of mixed up the old casual me, and the new 'uptown' me. It didn't look too bad. Geez! I'm such a girl sometimes! Just get in the shower Derrick and throw on something out of the dirty clothes hamper. Whatever.
The time rolled around, my mom was able to drive me halfway on her way to work, and I splashed the rest of the way through the rain. It wasn't hard to tell which house it was, the lights and music could be seen and heard from a block away. Always a sign of a good party. The ones who were old enough to drive had cluttered the driveway, the lawn, and most of the street on both sides. This thing was evidently a little bigger than I thought it was going to be. I walked up to the front door and smoothed my hair. I checked to make sure there were no wrinkles in my clothes, and did a quick breath check. Okay, all is good. I'll just sneak my way in, talk to the two or three people who even remember my name, and then it's on to Tanner's house. Easy said, easy done.
I rang the bell and a girl answered the door. She looked familiar, but I wasn't quite sure who she was by name. "Hey..." I said timidly.
This look of surprise came over her face and she said, "Oh...Omigod! Derrick??? Omigod!!! KICK ASS!!! How ARE you?" She nearly broke my neck giving me a hug, and having her jump up and down at the same time didn't help.
"Hehehehe...I'm...I'm fine! How are...uh...YOU?" Whoever this girl was, she was certainly happy to see me. No need to ask her what her name was and ruin the moment.
"COME IN! COME IN! I can't believe you made it! Hey you guys! Guess who showed up?" She yelled.
Now, mind you, I remembered half the faces in that room, but only a few of the names. The rest were yearbook photos and bodies to dodge in the hallways on my way to class. That's it. But you would have thought that a celebrity had shown up. Suddenly people were hugging me and shaking my hand, and telling me how good it is to see me. And what did I do? I just kept referring to everyone as 'sweetie' and 'dude' and 'bro' and 'hey'...hoping no one would figure out that I didn't know them from a hole in the wall. But after about fifteen minutes, no only did every one of them talk to me, but they were introducing me to other people as their buddy. I began to believe my own hype and actually felt comfortable with everybody. It was like being brought back to life. People asked about ME and my life and my interests. Not how much I made or my parents made or my stock options and college funds. They didn't look down their noses at me. They didn't brag about all the things they had and have competitions over who had the biggest house. They didn't make rude comments, talk about therapists, or pets named 'Foofie', and they didn't have summer homes to visit. They were just...normal. They played basketball and video games and enjoyed going to the mall without melting a credit card with purchases. And they liked ME. It felt like being as popular as Tanner was, or Chris, or any of them. I wasn't even equal, I was well liked by a lot of people. The guys made me feel welcome, the girls made me feel sexy. Some of them even winked at me a few times. I found myself talking to a group of people at once, instead of hiding in a corner to talk to Tanner. It felt good to be one of the 'pop' kids again. I had forgotten how cool it could be.
"Dude, you missed SO much! Tommy Joplin got arrested for carrying a gun to school! Wendy thinks she's pregnant, but she can't be pregnant, but she thinks she is..." I had this one girl catching me up on all of the gossip, and she seemed to have a computerized database full of it lodged in her brain. But it was fun to hear her mention names that I remember. "And Billy is still here, but he doesn't talk much anymore. He just walks around all day writing in some stupid journal or something. And both Ryan and his best friend Tyler moved away, but they're not too far away. OH...and do you remember Drew??? Dude...he's GAY!"
"Hahahaha! Drew? Get out of here! No way!" I said.
"Swear to God! He came out to everybody like soon after you left. Is that strange or what? I never knew anybody who was gay before."
I giggled wickedly to myself. "Yeah, well, you never know."
I looked at my watch, and realized that I had already been there for an hour an a half! Geez, I was having a little TOO much fun. I figured that I'd just finish this punch of mine and take off. I told a few people that I had to run, and they all seemed so sad to see me go. I got handed about 15 phone numbers at once and was forced to give out twice as many. My mom is gonna LOVE taking messages for me over the next week or so. So far, so good. Tanner's party had just started at 9 PM, so I won't miss much. I'll just hop on a bus, ride over to Tanner's house, and it'll only take me a half hour.
"FUCK YOU!" I heard come from the side of me. Evidently, two boys were involved in a little argument or something. The whole party kind of stopped to look, but they weren't really interested. I guess if there aren't any fists swinging, then it's no big deal. Then this cute kid with blond hair starts pushing his way past people quickly, and heads straight for me. He bumped my hand pretty hard, and half of the cup of punch splashed out and right onto my shirt. And he just kept going! I sat there with this giant red stain on my shirt, feeling the ice cold liquid seeping through it to freeze my chest with its arctic touch. Okay....so maybe I'll go home first and change again. One hour to get to Tanner's. Not so bad.
Instead of saying good bye to any more people, and possibly filling my pockets with even MORE tiny slips of scribbled on pieces of paper with phone numbers, I decided to sneak out the back. "Import beer man. It rocks!" Someone shouted out. Okaaaay....whatever pal. Sleep it off man. I went out the back way. I saw an old buddy sitting out on the steps watching the rain, and figured I'd say a quick hello on my way out.
"Aaron, what's up man? Long time no see." He smiled when he saw me, but only halfheartedly. Great, I finally remember somebody's name, and they're not in the mood to talk.
"My, my, my. The prodigal son has returned. How are they treating you up there in prep school bud?" He said.
"They're nice...well...not 'nice'...but, you know..."
"Treating you like shit, huh?"
"YES! Every single day. I'll survive though. Hehehehe!" I laughed.
"You should have done like Ryan and Tyler, man. Move someplace normal. I'll bet they're not having any troubles at all." I could still tell that there was something wrong with him, no matter how natural he appeared. So I figured I'd lighten things up a bit.
"So...where's Craig? It's not normal to see you two apart for more than a minute. You two still drawing and stuff?" I was hoping to cheer him up, but that evidently backfired. Aaron seemed to get even more disturbed, and got up from the stairs.
"Actually...um...we...we don't talk anymore. No big deal. Sigh...uh...it was good to see you again Derrick. Don't be a stranger, k?" Then Aaron got up to walk away. This wasn't turning out to be such a great night. I looked at my watch and headed on out to catch the first bus to Tanner's place.
"Hey, have you seen Taylor around?" Somebody asked me. Another familiar face, but not one that I recognized. Some track team type with dark hair. Good looking though.
"Taylor, who?" I asked.
"Ah, nevermind. I'll find him. He's got to be around here somewhere. Say, good to see ya again Derrick. Take care man." And then he ran in the house. Great, ANOTHER person who knows my name. I hardly remember his face, much less his name. I started walking around the outside of the house when I ran into somebody else.
"Hey Derrick. Say, have you seen Jordan around here?" What do I look like, an information booth? Where were these people coming from anyway?
"Jordan, who?"
"You know...Jordan." Oh yeah, like THAT clears everything up.
"Taylor, right?" He nodded his head and I made the assumption that the other kid was who he was looking for. "I think he just went into the house."
"Thanks bro. Take it easy." And 'Taylor' ran in to join him. As fun as it was being recognized, it wasn't the same. I felt the love, the friendship, and all of that. But I was out of the loop. I didn't feel that 'connection' anymore with the rest of them. I mean, kids were moving away and coming out of the closet and breaking records at the old arcade and getting new stepbrothers and that Justin guy from my history class seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth without a trace. How was I supposed to somehow fit back in as a piece of this puzzle when I have been so far removed from it for so long? Weird. I took one last look at the party, and then walked away without turning back. I'd be back one day, sure. I'll keep in touch, make a few more appearances, and have a good time. But...this isn't where I belong. Not anymore. It didn't feel right. With Tanner is where I belong. And all the intolerant bullshit that surrounds him. Hehehhe! His family and classmates will just have to learn to like me. Because I'm not going to just go away. That's that.
As the bus took me across town to the other party, I began to feel better and better. About myself, about my relationship, about everything. It was cool. For the first time, I was standing on the line between my present and my past, and I felt like I could easily stand alone. I didn't need the attitudes and snotty comments, I didn't need the praise and the recognition...I didn't need any of it. All I needed was the ability to stand on my own two feet. And realizing that for the first time can be a very liberating feeling indeed.
The bus dropped me off and I walked the last block or two without getting too wet. The last thing I wanted to do was track mud all over Tanner's house and have his family think I was raised by pigs or something. But as I neared the house, waiting for the usual 'what are you doing here' look from the doorman, that enlightened feeling of confidence came back to me. I quickened my pace, and soon my mind was just overflowing with a burst of self esteem. To hell with them. I can do this. I WILL do this. I could be a star in my old school, I can be a star anywhere. I rang the bell, and before the doorman could even give me 'the look', I handed him my sopping wet umbrella and jacket, making sure to get him at least a little wet, and pushed my way past him. I had a huge stain on my shirt, but screw it. I'll find Tanner and borrow one of his for the evening. It felt good. REALLY good.
"Derrick! Dude, you came!" I heard Tanner coming up behind me, and he gave me a 'manly' hug from behind. But I could still feel the love behind it, even if he did try to make it look good. "I'm glad. I was starting to think...hey, what happened to your shirt?"
"Hehehehe, accident at the last party. Do you think I can borrow one of yours for tonight?"
He leaned forward and whispered, "You've already gotten into my pants plenty of times. Why would I worry about a shirt?" And he grinned as he started off to his room. I followed, but he had only gone a few steps before his mom stopped him.
"Tanner...where are you going?" She said. We turned around, and she took an obvious offense to me showing up to their little shin dig wearing a stained shirt. She didn't make any attempts to hide it with her stare. "Derrick...I wasn't aware that Tanner invited you here...again." Oh, that was lovely. I know she's my boyfriend's mom and all, but what a bitch!
"Hello Mrs. Scott. Actually...it was an accident ma'am." I refused to lower myself to her level and be rude. Unlike her, my parents raised me to have manners.
"I'm sure it was. Tanner dear, why don't you let Derrick get something out of the box that we're donating to charity."
"Mom..." Tanner was appalled.
"That's okay Mrs. Scott. I believe Tanner has a shirt upstairs that will fit me just fine."
"I...I suppose that will work too then. Fine. And maybe he'll even let you keep it, so you'll have something to wear for any other parties you might go to. Then you can sit with a classy crowd." Tanner was about ready to either die of embarrassment, or break a chair over his mother's back. Either way, I knew I didn't want any trouble. I started walking towards the stairs, dragging Tanner behind me so he wouldn't say something that might get me kicked out of there.
"Awww...thanks ma'am. But I don't want to sit with a classy crowd. I'd rather stay here with you wonderful people instead." And with that, I walked up the steps quickly. It was kind of funny to see Mrs. Scott's evil grin turn into an insulted scowl. Two points for the poor kid! Between getting recognized at the last party, spooking Chris out in the locker room, and cramming two fingers up that barracuda's ass for a change, I was three for three! It was awesome. Maybe it was the storm, or the alignment of the planets or something, but I felt like I could get away with anything at this point.
I got to the top of the stairs, pulling Tanner into his room and shutting the door. He was still majorly pissed off. "The NERVE of her! Dude, I'm so sorry! I can't believe she could be so mean to you! I'm gonna go back down there and..."
But before he could finish, I grabbed him gently by the ears and planted a big kiss on his lips. I had been waiting all week to give him a big smooch like that, and it tasted absolutely divine. I broke the kiss with a loud smacking noise and looked into his eyes. Just then, he started giggling out loud. "Hehehe...what?" I asked.
"...I'd rather stay here with you wonderful people instead. Hahahaha...I get it. You bitch!" He laughed.
"You're a little slow today, aren't ya?"
"Hey, I was mad. So sue me." Then he delicately wrapped his loving arms around me and kissed me with a passion that made my knees buckle. His tongue licked playfully at mine, and then he stopped to just lay his head on my shoulder and hug me. "Sigh...I love you. Soooo much Derrick, you have no idea."
"Yes...I do." I said, and I kissed him again. Then he stepped back as I took my shirt off. He looked at me as I stripped it off of me, and I could see a familiar lump forming in his pants. Then, I threw my shirt on his bedroom floor and stood bare chested in the middle of the floor. He reached out to rub his hands lightly up and down my sides, kissing me on the neck. I sighed, but had to push him back a little bit. Regretfully. "Tanner...your shirt?"
"Yeah..." He whispered, and he began to unbutton his own shirt, more and more of his smooth, flawless, chest coming into view with every button.
I snickered at him and said, "Hehehehe...NO dude...your SHIRT! You were supposed to give me one to wear, remember?"
"OH! Oh yeah! Right!" He laughed, and he buttoned up his shirt again and reached in his closet to throw me one to put on. He was giggling, but blushing at the same time. Seeing him turn the cutest shade of pink just made me run over and kiss him again and again. He was adorable when he was blushing.
"We'll have time for that later. I promise." I said, and I rubbed the front of his pants sensually as he buttoned up my shirt for me. And boy did he take his time, enjoying the sensations rushing through him as my hand massaged and stroked his hardened need for me. Our eye contact never swayed during the whole process, and when he was finished, we were both tempted to lock the door and go at it right then and there. But we settled for another few quick kisses and decided to get back to the party.
Instead of going downstairs right away, Tanner sat me down on the top step to talk for a while. After all, he had to wait for his little 'problem' to go down. On the winding staircase, we could look down on the whole party, and Tanner began to spread a little gossip of his own. Like the girl at the last party, but believe me, rich folks have much better gossip. "Now...you see that guy down there? He's got this weird fetish about ladies shoes."
"Lady's shoes? He gets off on that kinda stuff?" I asked.
"Yeah! And that lady down there, that's his wife, she's cheating on him with the fat, bald guy in the corner. And HE'S cheating on HER with one of his secretaries. Now, the secretary has been having sex with two guys at once from the same law firm, and I hear that one of those guys is actually sleeping with somebody who goes to our school!" He totally shocked me with that one.
"WHAT? Like a teacher, right?"
"NOPE! A 14 year old boy!"
"Awww...dude! No way!" We laughed ourselves silly for about twenty minutes on that top step. He knew every story, every dirty little secret. It was so cool. They had all spent so much time snooping into each other's business to find out how they made their individual fortunes, that all of the other secrets just kind of unfolded with them I guess. The things I heard, my God. And I'M supposed to be the outcast of this crowd?
"OH, OH...dude, watch this!" Tanner said, getting up on his knees to look closer. I moved over to get a better look, and saw two ladies wearing the same dress standing pretty close to each other. "Now watch! That's Mrs. Jansen, and she hates to not be the only one in a room to be wearing a certain dress. I just saw her slip 100 bucks to the cocktail waitress, no doubt to get her to spill that last glass of red wine on the other lady. And the OTHER lady is Mrs. Henglemeyer, and SHE just gave 100 bucks to that waiter to spill hot soup on Mrs. Jansen!" The whole thing sounded so ridiculously immature. Like a game some kids in the 3rd grade would play. I didn't believe it and figured he was pulling my chain. But, as I watched closer, I saw the cocktail waitress move into position. And sure enough, with a fake 'oops', she spilled the drink all over Mrs. Henglemeyer and made it look like an accident. The dress was ruined, and the two ladies exchanged a dirty look before Mrs. Henglemeyer walked off. What a bunch of jerks! Tanner and I laughed to ourselves, trying not to be discovered at the top of the stairs where we were safe. But it was too hard to hold it in. Then Tanner, while almost out of breath said, "Wait...wait...watch the waiter pocket the other hundred without spilling the soup!" And once again, Tanner had the whole thing down to a science. Hahahaha! Rich people, gotta love them.
"Tanner. There you are. Come on down here sweetheart." Drats. His mother had found us out.
"Uh oh...she's being sweet. That means she's going to show me off to somebody like the racehorse I am. Sigh...look, this is embarrassing enough for me already. Why don't ya just walk around a bit and I'll meet up with you in a few minutes. K? Love you."
"Love you too." I whispered back, and I watched as Tanner fixed his hair and walked down the stairs to have some people he didn't know tell him what a handsome little heartbreaker he is. Sometimes, I really didn't envy him at all.
I made my way to one of the other rooms and helped myself to a tray full of some squished up croissant sandwich type thingee that tasted a bit like ham and mayonnaise. It was good, but I couldn't define it if I wanted to. I was going back for more when I accidently bumped into somebody. "Oh, excuse me." I said. But when the other person turned around...it was Chris! "Oh...it's you."
"Geez, does Tanner have to carry you EVERYWHERE? You're like some ugly luggage that nobody can seem to get rid of." It's nice to know that, even dressed up and looking good, he can still be an asshole.
"Funny, I didn't see YOUR name on the invite list. I'm surprised they even let you in." I said.
"Of course I'm on the list. My dad has got more cash than half of the people here thanks to a few good investments and some business sense. And now he owns an entire chain of restaurants all along the..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...that's nice." I said. "Great talking to you Chris. We'll do this again sometime. And thanks for not boring me, ok?" And I just started to walk away. So he's got money, big deal. Who cares? Who needs it? I need it. Sigh...if I had that much, my mom would never have to work again. Ah well, there's always the lotto.
"Jealous?" He said. Why the heck was he following me?
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't want to hear it?"
"Don't want to hear it because you're jealous. Go ahead, say it. I know you are."
Just then, Tanner came to join me. "Sorry about that bro. Say, come here, I want to show you something."
"Tanner, my man. What's up bro?" Chris said, looking for a handshake.
"...Hey Chris. Glad you could make it. Come on Derrick, this way." Tanner said it so unemotionally that it was hard not to laugh in Chris' face. Jealous? Of HIM? Hardly, I had what I wanted. Let's see him top that.
Tanner took me into this half empty room, and sat down at a piano. "So...what do you want me to play?" He asked.
"You play piano???"
"Hehehehe yeah. Since I was about 7. So what do you want to hear?" He smiled up at me, and I told him that I didn't know any..piano songs. So he sat me down next to him and began to play this soft mellow intro. It sounded like some kind of classical piece for a second, and then all of the sudden, he began banging out Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" as hard as he could on the keys. I laughed out loud, and some of the guests looked over to see what the heck was going on.
"Tanner! What have I told you about playing games on that piano! You play something decent or don't play at all." His mother hollered. He leaned over to playfully butt me with his shoulder and just played around on the keys a little bit. He was doing it much more quietly now after being scolded. But the smile on his face let me know that he didn't really care. He was just happy to be there with me.
I could see it in his smile, in the sparkle that danced in his eyes, and somehow....I knew he could see it in mine.
"I can play too." Came a voice from behind us. We lost the moment, and looked up to see Chris standing over us...again.
"What?" I said, obviously annoyed.
"The piano. I can play a few things too. My teacher showed me a few tricks here and there. Watch, scoot over a bit." He said, forcing his way onto the bench. I was almost at the end of my patience as far as his attempts to get in good with Tanner were concerned. Tanner stood up and Chris sat next to me. He started to play some complicated classical piece, and it was well done. Really good in fact. But I hated him so much that I just didn't care. It was the kind of crowd pleasing display I could expect from someone like him. He kept playing and reaching over me, so I decided to rattle him a little bit. I remembered the horror on his face in the locker room, and used it to my advantage. I leaned closer to him while he was playing, and put my hand on his thigh.
"That's really good. Do you know 'Great Balls of Fire'?" I asked. Chris flipped out and screwed up every note for the next five minutes. He looked so nervous. It was hilarious.
"Why don't we give you some more room for you to play?" Tanner said, pulling me up from the bench. I couldn't help but giggle happily to myself. Chris took a few seconds to recompose himself, and then he started to play again. As he was doing so, Tanner and I snuk out and went back up stairs. We closed the door again, and resumed our little game of tonsil hockey. Let Chris entertain all he wants, I'm sure somebody down there will care. The rain outside was surrounding us with most melodic sound of hypnotic drops. It was like a lullaby, and it made me want my lover even more. I leaned back against the wall, and Tanner pushed up against me. He used his hands to balance as mine traveled down to knead the soft cheeks that had given me so much pleasure in the time that I've known him. He sighed, his breath passing from his lungs into mine as we hungrily tasted each other's kiss. Our breathing increased and I was so stiff that I thought I would burst out of my pants any minute. He ground against me, making me shiver. A soft moan escaped my lips, and I crushed him against me, kissing him even harder.
"Tanner. Tanner, honey. Where are you?" We could hear his mother searching for him again. I swear, that lady was one hog call away from being locked in a closet for the rest of the night!
"Shhhh!!! Wait a sec." Tanner whispered, and he listened at the door. "Shit! She's coming! Um...HIDE!" He pushed me towards the bed, and we both scurried under it like a couple of rats. We pulled the sheet down enough so she wouldn't see us under there and kept quiet. We saw her open the door, and call again, searching around like some kind of evil sentinel guard or something. Then she just left. We breathed a sigh of relief and Tanner began to squirm his way out. He got all the way out, but before he could stand up, I held onto his legs, keeping him sitting on the floor. I crawled closer, stretched out on my stomach, and I rubbed my face along the insides of his spongy thighs. The heat coming from them was so deliciously warm, and he grinned as he looked down at me. He leaned back against the wall, and I moved up far enough to bury my face in the groin of his pants. I rubbed my face back and forth in it and chewed at his stiffness through the material. He whimpered a little and pushed himself up in to my face, lifting that cute butt of his off of the floor. My heart began to pump faster, and I was in ecstasy.
I unzipped his pants, setting his hard 6 inches free, and I lovingly took it into my mouth. I slowly took one long suck, gradually lowering myself all the way to the base, and I held it there while Tanner spasmed and squirmed beneath me. "Mmmm...ohh yeah..." He whispered.
He tasted so good, so very good. I began to bob slowly on him, and he entangled his hands in my hair, giving in to the sensual heat of my mouth. My tongue glided back and forth over the ridge of his cut, and it drove me wild. I was humping the floor in time with my oral administrations. It wouldn't take much longer for either one of us.
"Tanner...you up here?" Came a voice from outside the door. It was Chris! He was coming up the stairs!!!
"Oh SHIT!" Tanner yanked himself from my sucking lips and stuffed it back into his pants. I crawled out from under the bed and tried to fix myself so that I wouldn't stick out too much. Dammit! What did he want now? Was he gonna tap dance for Tanner or what?
He knocked on the door, and Tanner let him in. "Hey...what are you guys doing in here?" He asked.
"Nothing, just talking." Tanner replied. He didn't really hate Chris, but he didn't know him either. I don't think he cared one way or the other.
"Talking about what?"
"Murder." I said, upset at the interruption. Tanner nudged me in the side with a smile, but he didn't want me to be rude. Alright, alright, I suppose I could be a gentleman for the rest of the night. I mean, it was almost midnight. How much longer could this party go on.
We led Chris back down to the party and attempted to not let him get in the way too much. I watched him with Tanner, and he was just trying so hard to get on his good side. And Tanner wasn't stupid, he knew it, but he played along anyway. I attempted to play along too, but it was just strange seeing Chris be nice to anybody. So it was a hard role to get into.
"Long time no see kiddo." Tanner turned to see who was talking to him, and it was his cousin Jackie. The one who was so sweet to us on our Valentine's Day date.
"JACKIE! Cool! What are you doing here?" Tanner ran over and gave her a huge hug, leaving Chris in mid sentence.
"I was driving one of the limos outside tonight. It's a shit job on a night like this, but I needed the money. There's this gold digging chick at work that I'm trying to hook up with. Maybe I can get her to write her name on a hundred dollar bill, huh?" She smiled. I tell you, it was refreshing to see her again. Someone cool enough to be comfortable with who she is. And to be so wild about it too. "Anyway, my shift's over tonight, so I'm out of here."
Chris wasn't saying much to me, so I said hello. "Hey Jackie."
"Derrick? Awww...how are ya babe? You just can't get enough of these lovely gatherings, can you?" She smiled.
"Yeah, you know me." She chatted with us for a few minutes, and then took Tanner to meet a friend of hers. I was left standing there with Chris, and since he didn't seem even the least bit interested in talking to me the way he was for Tanner, I left him standing right there as I made my way back to the food trays. I got some stuff, and just hung out in a corner to eat. That's when Chris slowly shuffled his way in. He had a different look on his face, something I had never seen before. It was strange. "You don't look happy." I said.
"I'm fine." He said. But I could tell, he was nervous. I don't know why, but he was.
"Are you sure?" He gave me a dirty look. "Look, I'm just trying to help. I'm sorry I cared."
"Like I need you to care. Save it." He said angrily. "And for goodness sakes fix your hair. You look like some kind of dork or something." He said, and he used his hand to harshly brush it out of my eyes.
I pushed his hand away quickly. "What are you? My mother or something?"
"Whatever. Dude, you are the most pathetic rich kid wanna-be poser that I've ever met. I don't even know why I'm talking to you."
"You know what? Me either." I wasn't sure how many times I was going to have to walk away from this brat before he got the message, but I was going to find out. I suddenly thought about having him follow us up the stairs so we could pay some waiter to push him back down. Might be fun to watch. It would definitely put an end to this party, that's for sure.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, an incredibly loud boom of thunder came crashing down on us, and a bright flash lit up the room from where a bolt of lightning must have struck not far away from there. The lightning shorted out the lights, and we heard some commotion from the other room. People started looking around and complaining and before long, they were reaching for their coats. Tanner came to find me and Chris and told us that the party was over. If you ask me, it was just getting interesting. He gave Chris an impersonal handshake, but with a smile, to say goodnight. Me? I got a hug.
Since Jackie was still around, she offered to give me a ride home, and I happily ran through the rain to get in the back of her limo. I waited for a minute or two until she came back. But before she took off, she said, "Okay kiddo. Here we go. I had to pick up another little passenger, and we'll drop him off first. Ok?" And as luck would have it, BAD luck that is, it was Chris again.
"NOW who's everywhere like ugly luggage?" I said. He just looked at me and climbed in the back seat. He didn't say much of anything for the first five minutes of the trip home, but then he mumbled something under his breath. I couldn't quite make it out. It sounded sort of like 'I can't fucking believe this' or 'I fucking hate this'...or any combination. "What?" I asked, just as irritated as he was.
"Nothing."
"No, tell me what you said."
"NOTHING! Got it?" What was he going to do? Punch me in the nose like some elementary school bully? Fuck him!
"You don't have to ride home with me dude! You can get out and walk anytime you want." He just shook his head in disgust, but he didn't say anything in his defense. "What happened to Mr. "My Dad Owns A Chain Of Restaurant"? Shouldn't HE be driving you home tonight?"
"You shut up about my dad! You don't know a damn thing about him!" He shouted.
"Hey...pipe down back there. Let's all play nice, we don't have far to go." Jackie wasn't really eavesdropping, but she knew a conflict when she saw one. So we leaned back and didn't say anything to each other for a while. But once again, he started talking first. But what he said surprised me.
"He left me." It was like his whole voice changed. Like all of that cocky confidence was gone and let him speak from the heart for a change.
"Wait...what?"
"He LEFT me. Okay? He left me. He found some bimbo at the party and he just...he left." Chris put his head down, either from shame or from sadness. Maybe from both.
"I'm...I'm sorry dude. I didn't know." I still hated him, but far be it from me to kick somebody when they're down.
"Whatever. Just leave me alone." He pouted and I didn't push it any further. But I guess he felt bad about it, because he turned to say, "Um...thanks. Sigh." It almost was enough to give me a heart attack. Chris? Being a human being? Go figure.
Suddenly, the limo came to a screeching halt. I looked out the front window, and saw some little red haired kid, maybe about 10 years old or so, racing as fast as he could in the rain. There was another kid not so far behind him on the other side of the street, and they were both heading for the intersection fast. The light had changed, and the little boy just kept on going. A few cars blew their horns and scared the heck out of him, making him lose control and fall over in the middle of the street. I saw the cars stop in both directions as the boy toppled over into a heap. The other boy looked on, but must have been in an awful big hurry, because he just kept speeding off into the darkness. A few people got out of their cars to see if the little boy was alright, and Jackie was going to go too.
"You guys stay put. I'll be right back." She said, and she got out of the car. She left her blinkers on, and they filled the car with this rhythmic clicking noise that accompanied the raindrops perfectly.
Chris and I sat in silence for a moment, and that's when I said, "Look...everything aside...I really am sorry. Ok? Ill just leave it at that."
Chris looked over at me and said, "Dude, your hair looks so stupid." I wasn't sure whether to laugh at that or punch him in the eye. I was leaning more towards the latter. Then he reached over to touch it again.
"Knock it off!" I said, pushing him away again. But this time, it didn't stop there. Before I could even get his hand away, Chris swiftly jumped forward at me and...HE KISSED ME!!! Right on the lips! I didn't know what the hell was happening at first, and I struggled hard to get him off of me. Finally, I pushed him back against the seat and we both looked at each other, breathless after our little tussle.
"What...what the hell was THAT all about???" I shouted. I think it scared him, and he began to breathe really really hard. I don't think he knew what he was doing either. "Chris? Dude..."
"SHUT UP!!!" He said.
"Shut up??? Dude you just...you..."
"I SAID SHUT UP!!! I swear to God, if you tell anybody about this, I will beat the living shit out of you on a daily basis! You got that? I will make your life a living hell! You think you got it bad now? You haven't seen anything yet! Got it?" The look in his eyes was intense. That mixture of fear and fury. The kind that you see on those wild animal shows where they're protecting their nest from a giant predator. "GOT IT?" He yelled again. I nodded, but that wasn't good enough. "SAY IT!!!"
"I won't tell anybody! I swear." That seemed to calm him down a little bit, and just then, Jackie got back into the car.
"I think the little boy's gonna be alright. As a matter of fact, I think he was actually smiling about the whole thing." She said. Then she looked at the emotions on our faces in the rearview mirror. "...Are you two okay back there?"
"We're fine." I said. It was hardly an incriminating reply, but Chris' gaze shot daggers at me anyway.
"Alright. I'll take your word for it. But I usually have to smoke two joints and drink a shot of Jaeger before I can get a look like THAT on my face." She said, and happily drove us the rest of the way home.
The car was deathly silent for the rest of the trip. Chris didn't utter a simple word, he didn't even look at me. I honestly believe he was scared to. I wrestled with my own thoughts for a while, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of all this. Did Chris...LIKE me? Is that even possible? Ewwwwww! That's gross! No way in hell! As soon as I get home, I'm going o gargle with bleach and baking soda! Sick!
Jackie let Chris out, and he didn't say anything as he got out of the car. But as soon as he closed it, instead of running inside to stay dry, he turned around and looked directly at me through the window. No umbrella, no nothing. And even though it was raining, I could have sworn that some of those drops on his cheeks weren't from the rain...they were tears. He watched the car as it drove off, keeping eye contact with me the whole way. He doesn't like me, he CAN'T like me! He doesn't like anybody!
"How are you doing back there hon?" Jackie asked.
"Huh?" I was so lost in thought that I wasn't expecting her to say anything at all. "Oh...yeah, I'm...I'm fine. I suppose."
"Did he say something to you? The little spoiled brat! Don't let him get to you."
"No...no actually, he didn't. It's cool. Really."
"Alright. Just you remember that there are people out there who would give their heart and soul to you at the drop of a hat. Who cares what he says?"
"Yeah...who cares..." I said. But I knew that something very strange had happened tonight. All day actually. One extraordinary event after the other. I guess the rain brings out the weirdest things in people. I need time to think. A LOT of time!
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