CHAPTER NINE
I shook my head. "Sorry. I'm so dumb."
"You're not dumb, you're just new to the scene. Trust me. I was clueless six months ago. The only way you learn is to get out there."
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I asked, "You like to dance?"
"Love it."
"You're so different at school."
"Have to be. Less fuel for the fire. Sometimes I want to beat the shit out of Steve, but I've learned to ignore him most of the time."
"Well, if it makes it any better the next time Steve goes at you, just know that he wet the bed until he was thirteen."
Max turned to me with wide eyes. "You're kidding!"
"Nope. That's why we call him Crinkles."
"I thought it was because of his curly hair," Max said.
I snickered. "It was the sound of his plastic sheets."
Max laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. "Oh, damn. Guess I won't call him out on that. Not unless I want to get beaten to a pulp. I guess I’m lucky he hasn't bashed me before.”
“It’s Stone,” I explained. “Someone talked about ‘smearing the queer’ once and Donny flipped. He threatened to beat the shit out of the guy if he laid a finger on you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He's a decent person, when he’s not running his mouth. He’s got it pretty hard at home. His parents died in a car accident when he was eleven and he lives with his grandparents. His gramp had a stroke last year, so Donny spends most of his spare time helping his grandmother and doing stuff around the house.”
Max nodded thoughtfully. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll give him a little more credit than I always have.”
“He’s the only one of my so-called friends that I really like. I don’t know why I stuck around with that crowd so long.”
He put a hand on my leg. “Trace, you’re a ballplayer. You spend about every minute outside school with them. I don’t blame you for keeping the status quo and not coming out.”
The heat from his hand burned through my jeans and heated my blood. My pants started to get tight. Max suddenly realized that he was touching me and snatched his hand away. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“It’s okay,” I said, a little too quickly. Could I be any more lame?
For the next quarter hour, Max concentrated on driving and I concentrated on anything but Max. When the bright lights of the city began streaming past my window, I snapped out of my trance. “What part of the city are we in?”
“The docks.”
“The docks?” I asked. “You know how dangerous it is down here?”
He rolled his eyes. “Live a little, Trace! It’s fine. We’ll park in a garage right across the street from the club. ‘Kay?”
I felt like a complete spaz. “Right. I don’t mean to be such a buzzkill.”
Max laughed. “Buy me a beer and we’ll call it even. I promise we’ll have fun.”
It took about ten minutes to reach the club. He swung a hard left into an underground garage and I braced myself for my journey into the unknown.
We walked across the street and I saw the long line of people waiting to get in. Before I could sigh, Max grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front of the queue. Everyone else waiting began to grumble with complaint, but the bouncer quieted them with one mean glare.
He quieted me too. He was several inches taller than I, and several feet wider, and the tribal tattoos on his face rendered him fiercely intimidating. When the lines and swirls across his nose and cheeks began to undulate, I realize he was smiling.
“Hey, Little Man! How you been?” he asked Max.
“Great, Tai.” Max bumped knuckles with the giant, and then added, “This is Trace.”
I nodded and said, “Hi.”
Tai asked, “You Max’s age?”
“Course he is,” Max said when I remained silent.
“Yeah, I am,” I repeated. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be twenty-one or not.
Tai laughed. “First time, eh? Well, have fun.”
The door opened and music blasted out into the street. The deep bass rhythm vibrated in my chest and I leaned into Max. “Damn, it’s loud.”
Max turned and yelled, “What?”
“Never mind!”
“Huh?”
“Nothing!”
The music picked that opportune moment to stop and several people turned to stare at the screaming kid in the doorway. Max burst out laughing and pulled me by the hand toward the bar. The DJ began another song and I became less self-conscious. We ordered beers and found a section of wall to lean against.
I drank in my surroundings while I sipped from the cold bottle. The dance floor was a writhing mass of sweating bodies and I began to wish I’d worn looser pants. Max touched my arm and said, “Whaddya think?”
“Don’t know yet. It’s-”
Someone came up behind me and smacked into my elbow, knocking me forward. I was profoundly glad I didn’t fall or spill my drink. The guy who hit me turned and smiled. “Oh, shit. Sorry. You okay?”
It was hard finding words at that moment, as I was busy staring at the skin-tight purple jeans he was almost wearing. His cock was in a fight with the shiny denim and from the size of the bulge, I was waiting for the cock to win at any moment.
Max jabbed me in the side to snap me out of my flagrant stare. I looked up into the stranger’s eyes and felt my face flame. “Yeah. Christ, sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
The man stood on his toes and spoke loudly in my ear. “Go ahead and look. That’s why I wore ‘em.” I blushed and he laughed. “I’m Colby.”
“Trace.”
“Dance with me.”
"You're not dumb, you're just new to the scene. Trust me. I was clueless six months ago. The only way you learn is to get out there."
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I asked, "You like to dance?"
"Love it."
"You're so different at school."
"Have to be. Less fuel for the fire. Sometimes I want to beat the shit out of Steve, but I've learned to ignore him most of the time."
"Well, if it makes it any better the next time Steve goes at you, just know that he wet the bed until he was thirteen."
Max turned to me with wide eyes. "You're kidding!"
"Nope. That's why we call him Crinkles."
"I thought it was because of his curly hair," Max said.
I snickered. "It was the sound of his plastic sheets."
Max laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. "Oh, damn. Guess I won't call him out on that. Not unless I want to get beaten to a pulp. I guess I’m lucky he hasn't bashed me before.”
“It’s Stone,” I explained. “Someone talked about ‘smearing the queer’ once and Donny flipped. He threatened to beat the shit out of the guy if he laid a finger on you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He's a decent person, when he’s not running his mouth. He’s got it pretty hard at home. His parents died in a car accident when he was eleven and he lives with his grandparents. His gramp had a stroke last year, so Donny spends most of his spare time helping his grandmother and doing stuff around the house.”
Max nodded thoughtfully. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll give him a little more credit than I always have.”
“He’s the only one of my so-called friends that I really like. I don’t know why I stuck around with that crowd so long.”
He put a hand on my leg. “Trace, you’re a ballplayer. You spend about every minute outside school with them. I don’t blame you for keeping the status quo and not coming out.”
The heat from his hand burned through my jeans and heated my blood. My pants started to get tight. Max suddenly realized that he was touching me and snatched his hand away. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“It’s okay,” I said, a little too quickly. Could I be any more lame?
For the next quarter hour, Max concentrated on driving and I concentrated on anything but Max. When the bright lights of the city began streaming past my window, I snapped out of my trance. “What part of the city are we in?”
“The docks.”
“The docks?” I asked. “You know how dangerous it is down here?”
He rolled his eyes. “Live a little, Trace! It’s fine. We’ll park in a garage right across the street from the club. ‘Kay?”
I felt like a complete spaz. “Right. I don’t mean to be such a buzzkill.”
Max laughed. “Buy me a beer and we’ll call it even. I promise we’ll have fun.”
It took about ten minutes to reach the club. He swung a hard left into an underground garage and I braced myself for my journey into the unknown.
We walked across the street and I saw the long line of people waiting to get in. Before I could sigh, Max grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front of the queue. Everyone else waiting began to grumble with complaint, but the bouncer quieted them with one mean glare.
He quieted me too. He was several inches taller than I, and several feet wider, and the tribal tattoos on his face rendered him fiercely intimidating. When the lines and swirls across his nose and cheeks began to undulate, I realize he was smiling.
“Hey, Little Man! How you been?” he asked Max.
“Great, Tai.” Max bumped knuckles with the giant, and then added, “This is Trace.”
I nodded and said, “Hi.”
Tai asked, “You Max’s age?”
“Course he is,” Max said when I remained silent.
“Yeah, I am,” I repeated. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be twenty-one or not.
Tai laughed. “First time, eh? Well, have fun.”
The door opened and music blasted out into the street. The deep bass rhythm vibrated in my chest and I leaned into Max. “Damn, it’s loud.”
Max turned and yelled, “What?”
“Never mind!”
“Huh?”
“Nothing!”
The music picked that opportune moment to stop and several people turned to stare at the screaming kid in the doorway. Max burst out laughing and pulled me by the hand toward the bar. The DJ began another song and I became less self-conscious. We ordered beers and found a section of wall to lean against.
I drank in my surroundings while I sipped from the cold bottle. The dance floor was a writhing mass of sweating bodies and I began to wish I’d worn looser pants. Max touched my arm and said, “Whaddya think?”
“Don’t know yet. It’s-”
Someone came up behind me and smacked into my elbow, knocking me forward. I was profoundly glad I didn’t fall or spill my drink. The guy who hit me turned and smiled. “Oh, shit. Sorry. You okay?”
It was hard finding words at that moment, as I was busy staring at the skin-tight purple jeans he was almost wearing. His cock was in a fight with the shiny denim and from the size of the bulge, I was waiting for the cock to win at any moment.
Max jabbed me in the side to snap me out of my flagrant stare. I looked up into the stranger’s eyes and felt my face flame. “Yeah. Christ, sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
The man stood on his toes and spoke loudly in my ear. “Go ahead and look. That’s why I wore ‘em.” I blushed and he laughed. “I’m Colby.”
“Trace.”
“Dance with me.”
****************************************
Don't forget to visit the other flashers!
Caz Pedroso
Cia Nordwell
Johayan
Julie Lynn Hayes
Mann Ramblings
Taylin Clavvelli
Ravon Silvius
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