Even If We Tried

Chapter 12

Re-Edited - Draft One

 The regular warnings apply as always. Consider charity for nifty's awesome service. Please don't alter or reproduce my work without first contacting me.

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 A SIDE NOTE; this is just an updated version of EIWT Draft 1. A full book, with new characters, scenes and plot is coming soon as an Ebook.

 

Contact and find me on these sites. I’ll be posting daily updates on Tumblr.

Email - danny2017writing@outlook.com

Twitter - @author_daniels

Tumblr - dannywriting2017

 

For anyone who is interested, I have other stories on nifty. I will list them at the end of the story.

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Many thanks;

 

To my friend and editor Leo, who has spent a great number of hours revamping the face of EIWT.

 To my friend and fellow writer Hunter, for all the support he has shown during the course of my writing. Check out his story Open Hearts.

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 In The Last Chapter: Sam finds the words to stand up to Nash and confronts him at his former table in the cafeteria. He gives all his old friends a piece of his mind, including Ethan. That morning Sam had an unlikely encounter with Ethan, who gave him a peck on the cheek, which turned sour shortly after. Austin and Sam then have a fun day out go-karting, and Sam starts noticing some of the manly features about Austin that are starting to appear. Lastly, the boys decide to run away into the night, and play a couple of pranks on Ethan for his bitterness towards Sam. They start off by lightly toilet papering his home and then break and enter into the family’s backyard and vandalise their pool.

 Songs In This Chapter

Song 1: The Scientist by Chase Eagleson

Song 2: Red Gold Yesterday by LUCHS

Song 3: Everything by City Of The Sun

Song 4: Then We Are Together Johan Soderqvist

 

Even If We Tried - part 11

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Song 1: The Scientist by Chase Eagleson

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 Slipping out of my peacefulness; I heard the faint trickle of water. It had a calming and soothing effect; it made the background appear so soft and fuzzy. Just like when you stand up all of sudden and you get dizzy. It was almost like I was floating in a separate reality. I could breathe in and out without having the feeling of something or someone weighing me down for the first time in weeks. It was so refreshing, to say the least, but then my eyes opened. Staring up at the blue vibrant picturesque morning sky, the sun broke over the horizon of the mountains in the direction of Newman Lake, which was to the east. The haze of blue and soft pink blended together to make a sight that was not seen too often.

 Knowing exactly where I was, I didn’t jump up in panic just yet. I just sat there taking in the sights of the morning sun warming my face. I looked down at my lap and across to Austin, shrouded in the still darkness. I drew in a contented sigh and let out a frustrated exhale. I knew what I had done was wrong. I knew that what both of us had done was morally wrong. I had never done anything as disrespectful in all my life. And I felt guilty for it. I felt as if I was the one that had done the most damage. If I hadn’t opened that side gate then none of Ethan’s backyard would have been vandalised. I don’t know what got into Austin all of sudden last night but it was fun until he started moving that ceramic pot across to the edge of the pool.

 I also felt remorse for manhandling Austin; it was so not my nature. ‘Who was I becoming?’, I thought to myself. I didn’t want to become a delinquent or one of those teenagers that always cause trouble. I had never been in trouble before; it was a mistake. I know what I did was not justifiable. I gave in to peer pressure to please Austin, because I had hurt him. But more hauntingly, I wanted to do that to Ethan’s backyard. I didn’t even try to stop myself; my mom would kill me if I told her, she would be so disappointed in me. I wanted to do it because I was angry at Ethan. I didn’t plan for it to turn out this way, it just happened. The morning sun was not a nice picture anymore, it was just there but had no purpose. I could not appreciate the warm rays, or the breath-taking sight. I felt the cold morning chill and the soft rush of water whizzing past me and a sleeping Austin, who seemed lost in a dream somewhere. I knew I would have to face my demons. I knew that the only rational thing to do was to own up for my mistake, but then I’d get Austin in trouble, ‘why was I so foolish.’

 Austin gently mumbled in his sleep and I looked over at him. He looked like the innocent boy I had fallen in love with, but what is he now? He’s not innocent, he has a rebellious side.  There’s nothing wrong that, but if push came to shove would I be able to take the blame to hide the fact that Austin started the vandalism, or did I? I was not sure, but one thing I knew for certain was that my fingers were cold.  Pulling out my iPhone I pressed the home button with my thumb to check the time. The time stated 7:12 am. I quickly became aware that I had been out the entire night. If mom had noticed that I was gone then I was in for a shit storm when I got home, that’s if the police weren’t looking for me already.

 Sitting in silence for ten minutes more. I heard Austin’s raspy voice say, “Where are we?” Sitting straight up, I sat with my legs arched and my elbows resting on my knees. Twiddling with a fine piece of fresh green grass in my hand I shrugged my shoulders unsure of what to say to Austin.

 “The river…” I trailed off and made no effort to approach an enthusiastic conclusion. I knew Austin could sense that I was down and he quietly started rubbing the back of my head and playing with my hair.

 Jilting away from his touch, I felt his hand graze the base of my neck and he then tried again and start rubbing my hair, but I also deflected that kind gesture.

 “Austin”, I said, contemplating what I was going to say as I clenched a chunk of grass from the ground and emptied out the contents of my fist so that I was left with one strand of grass.

 “We fucked up!” I said tamely and shaking my head in remorse.

“We crossed the line last night.”

 Austin remained quiet as he slowly rubbed the sleep from his soft brown eyes. The only sound was the eerie sounds of nature. Exhaling, he sat up and looked at the sun with me before saying, “I’ll take the blame… I’ll take the blame, if it means that much to you”, he said and slowly dropped his head to his knees.

 I knew that I could not let him take the blame either, the two of us had done it. I didn’t want to get in trouble, but I knew that it was the wrong thing to do, to even consider letting Austin take the blame for something both of us did. There would be no turning back if I ever let him go down that type of road alone. I don’t think I could possibly let him go down a lonely road without me beside him.

It would possibly kill me to see him being dragged down for something I did. But come think of it, why did he offer so quickly to take the blame? I mean it’s very noble. I would never trade myself in for someone that I didn’t truly care about. I did care about Austin, and this only helped me to realise why I liked him. Even though he was in the wrong, he was still willing to own up to the damage he had done -- ’we had done.’ Looking over to him I softly said “can we share the blame?”

 He turned and gave a weak smile and looked out to the river, “I’d be honoured to share the blame”, he chided.

 Lying back down on the cold earth under my back, I looked up at the rising sun and chuckled a little bit. I contemplated what he had meant with ‘I’d be honoured to share the blame.’ Why did he sound ironic, or was he just messing around to try and inject some life into the conversation? I was growing a little tired of doing all the thinking. I just wanted to be able to sit back and have someone else make the decisions for a little while. Not that I was incapable of making my own choices, but I was feeling like I was in a rut and I was getting nowhere. We lay there for a couple more minutes and discussed what we could do about the damage we inflicted at Ethan’s house.

 The sun had finally peaked in the sky and was beaming down on us on the grass. All the shade was gone and I had to resort to using my hand as a shield from the sun. Austin had slowly slithered his way into my side and the two of us touched and it felt nice. ‘No, not nice. It felt secure or safe somehow.’ We were sort of spooning but not spooning, if that makes sense; the two of us were side by side but not spooning in the traditional way. Instead, I was still lying on my back and Austin had entwined himself to the small of my arm and rested there until my arm started to go numb from his weight. I could smell his sweet body odour and his hair smelled of strawberries somehow.

 I didn’t want to end any of the nice feelings I was having. I wanted to hold him longer and just let him sleep there or at least stay there. But my arm started complaining and I started to get pins and needles and decided I had to shift my arm. I slowly slid my arm out from under his head and he sat up looking over at me. He looked like he was a child that had been disturbed from a slumber. He slowly wiped away his fresh eye discharge and started to climb to his feet.

 Austin then said gravelly as he looked down at me, “I’m gonna wash my face.” With that he strolled down the small incline that was below us and he went toward the river bank. I instinctively lay back down on the grass and considered getting up. It was comfy on the ground, ‘well, maybe a little uncomfortable with the hard surface but the overall experience was comfortable. I heard the merry chirps of birds that were at home in their natural habitat. I glanced down toward the river and saw Austin wash the cold water over his already flawless skin. I squinted with one eye to make out the small details that surrounded him. He leaned on the side of bank and his hoodie had a small grass-stained patch where the hood of his draped at the back. He seemed so small and fragile from a distance, but he definitely had a lot more to him than just ‘small and fragile’.

 Then there it was again, that familiar feeling that reminded me every morning that I had to pee. I guess it didn’t help to have a river at my disposal, because it really escalated the fact I had the urge to go. I sat up, clearly not wanting to, and I scrutinized and inspected the surrounding area to pee.

Resting my hands on my knees I scoffed silently to my ‘why’ and got up from the grass and started to walk down toward the hideout just under the bridge. I thought that if I could pee without Austin seeing me actually peeing it would make me feel less uncomfortable. Like I didn’t want to be caught in an awkward situation. ‘I mean, I guess someday he’ll see it, my dick I mean. But I didn’t think I was quite ready for that sort of jump between us yet. I stealthily veered to my left and started walking toward the bridge. Under the bridge and enshrouded from all view, I started to unzip myself as I came face to face with a pillar just a couple of feet away from my childhood building project. I unbuttoned my jeans and reached for the waistband of my underwear; that’s when I heard a twig snap behind me and in fear I immediately jilted my head around to the source of the invasion.

 Seeing that it was Austin, I sighed with relief, knowing that the uneasiness was uncalled for and quickly let my guard down a little. Austin looked at me subjectively and asked, “Are you ditching me?” Looking at him, I felt my emotion slip and my face turned to a reasoning expression. “No!”, I declared in a boyish broken voice. “I’m about to go the bathroom” I quickly mumbled out of uncertainty and also out of desperation for my bladder.

 “I’m fucking with ya”, he shot back. I guess my face dropped at him cursing because he smiled bashfully as he stepped forward toward me and took the vacant spot next to me and started to undo his button-up jeans; he then started to pull at the front of his colourful underwear. I tried to keep my head directed at the concrete pillar as I reached into my cotton briefs and pulled my lifeless flesh from my body and aimed it directly at the pillar and started to pee.

 I knew he was looking, and my god, my heart was beating so fast in my chest. I could practically feel my heart brushing against my ribcage. Did I look nervous to him, I hope not! Maybe it’s a thing, maybe he will be nervous too. I had a sudden burst of curiosity also, on top of my nervousness. I found myself looking down at my dick. It was thin and long; I didn’t have many pubes, only a sparing few that covered the base of my nuts and pubic area. I found myself wondering if I was big enough. I had never really thought much about size before, but I had the chance right now to try and compare. I slyly guided my eyes across the pillar and with my peripheral vision I slowly left the concrete pillar and saw the grassy and dirty terrain under our feet and then I saw Austin’s jeans and slowly and nervously I glanced at his… his thing. He was holding his dick with his still slightly wet fingers. His penis was smaller than mine. I guess it was a bit fatter. Like thick. He had a couple of dark brown hairs accumulated around the base of his nuts and his penis was slightly darker than mine. ‘Mine was like white and his was like, I don’t know. Tanned. No, not tanned; it was darker, I guess.’ Other than that, his dick looked the same as mine. My mom used to call my foreskin a helmet; I had no idea why she called it that but I guess it just stuck and he had the same feature as me.

 Looking up at Austin, who was directing his attention back up from down there I flushed with embarrassment and directed my attention back to the concrete in front me. Nothing was said and I looked down at my dick, but then Austin directed his piss trail over to mine and it crossed into my urine and fell to the ground like a peaceful sun shower. I quickly laughed about the stupidity of it and for some unknown reason I turned my hip towards Austin and we both crossed streams. By this point I was running on empty and my flow started to come to a slow trickle. I evidently was starting to feel a small pressure at the base of my dick and I knew that I was starting to swell up. I knew a boner was coming. I shook myself off and put my manhood back in his cage while zipping myself up. I turned a bit flustered and tried to start walking away from the pillar and wait for Austin. But before I could get any further, Austin called out from behind me in a soft and reassuring voice.

 “You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

 Unsure of whether to turn around in case he was still in a compromising position, I opted against it and turned slightly so that I was not directly facing him but not looking at him either. “Embarrassed of what?”, I asked innocently enough so as to not rouse suspicion. I saw him move from the side of my peripheral vision toward me and I opted to look at him, since I gathered that he had finished peeing. He cocked his head to one side and gave a sly grin before wandering his eyes down my body and stopped on my crotch. He then looked at me with puppy eyes for a second and then changed his posture so that he was standing up straight and proud.

 “Pff”, I retorted and placed my right leg behind me getting ready to walk on ahead of Austin. Turning away from him, a couple of seconds passed in an eerie silence and then he finally said something I wasn’t expecting him to say at all.

 “It’s nice”, He mumbled but quickly stumbled on his words as he said, “I mean… I think you… are bigger than me.”

 ‘Did I just hear what I thought I had heard? I reassured myself it had only been a misconception of my hearing, and that it was playing tricks on me. Mind you, I never had that sort of problem before; my hearing has never really played a trick on me as far as I could recall. So, there is a slight chance of what he said was actually real. Oh god, I thought to myself, did he actually say he likes my dick. No, he said it was nice, Sam. I guess I was starting to smile from both bashfulness and pride. I am bigger than him I guess, but the situation was becoming heated and I had this feeling that I could not describe; it wasn’t embarrassment or butterflies. It was like a mixture of pride and resentment from the previous interactions with the people going about their life around me. I mean the pride was definitely coming from Austin somehow, but so was the resentment. But the bad feeling was not just an indicator that Austin was a bad influence or was bad for me or against me; it was just one of the many things that had made me like the new me in an odd way, but Austin was not the root of the problems I had had to deal with, if anything he has actually helped me find the true me.

 Turning around to face him I gave a shy smile before dropping my arms to my sides out of humility and shrugged my shoulders as I became redder in the face. Austin took this as an advancement and closed in on the small distance between  us. I felt like I was the prey and he was the predator for a moment. I felt like I was at his mercy and I was waiting for him to pounce as he was being so damn cute at the same time and just like that he gave those cute puppy eyes again but was almost like he was begging for something. I had no idea what he wanted, but I felt myself melting when he put his arms around me and gave me a strong and firm squeeze hug. I hated those sorts of hugs but still I liked them; I didn’t like it when people squeezed the life out of me. But my brother Jonathan was notorious for squeezing people like he was trying to get the last drop out of a toothpaste tube. Although I didn’t quite  like it, it still was assuring to know that the person cared enough to hug the life out of me. I could foresee that when Austin got older he would possibly crush me to death if he hugged me like Jonathan did.

 Coming back down to earth, I still felt Austin clinging to me and I was developing a little crick in my neck from hanging onto him. I had to let go and look down a little from the high angle. I was staring at his neck and torso and I suddenly had a realisation that I liked his strong jaw line. It made him look sexier or more defined as a boy, well, soon to be a man.

 Austin leaned out a little but still held onto me tightly with his arms placed securely in the dip of my back and smiled before demanding and said solemnly, “I’m going to kiss you, so from now on I’m not going to ask. I’m just going to steal.”

With that he drew his head towards mine and pressed his lips into mine. It took me a second to get into kissing, but I quickly caught up with him and was kissing him back  happily. I was also trying to be cute myself, like when we broke the kiss I looked at him in the eyes, and that’s when I gave him a small teasing peck on the lips before I leaned back.

 “We should get home”, he said abruptly, rueing the moment. Home was the last thing I wanted to think about or the thing with Ethan and that prick Nash. But he was right. I slowly felt the magic of the moment dissipate and I let my hands fall to my side as he let go of me and we both started to climb to the spot where we had left our bikes.

 While we walked the remaining distance up to our bikes, Austin rubbed the remaining wetness of his hands on his jeans and smiled over at me, not having a care in the world. I asked him would he like to meet up around lunch or something, and he quickly jumped at the opportunity without thinking of anything else. It also made me happy that there was not a second thought on whom he wanted to spend time with. I gave him the offer and he jumped at it without hesitation. Picking up out bikes and Austin’s duffle bag we climbed the remainder of the hill and up to the footpath. We both threw around a couple of suggestions and I mentioned fishing and he said that he had never really fished before, so I said I could get him a rod and we could fish. I was going one way and he was going the other. I shrugged and gave him a knowing smile. “I’ll see ya later then?” I asked, but it wasn’t really a question. I knew I was going to see him later. After a smile and quick hug we went our separate ways.  I stopped for a couple of seconds to watch Austin disappear out of sight on his bike. I then started my journey home, thinking of the morning I just had and how it couldn’t get any better for the moment. But unanswered questions crept in still, without regard to rueing my good morning. I was wondering if my mom was awake and how I was going to explain to her where I was all night, if she was awake. I was also afraid that the police might be waiting for me when I got home and I also had the unanswered question of whether Austin would remain true to his word and share the blame with me for the damage we had done. He had so far kept his word, so I had nothing to worry about. I had no intention of thinking or worrying about Nash for the moment. I just had other issues about me as a person to worry about, before I could consider what my next move was going to be with Nash. I cycled all the way home and pulled up into the driveway and dismounted at the side gate. Mom’s car was in the usual spot as always, so I just navigated around the car and pushed the propped-up gate open and wheeled my bike in and placed it against the wall, just feet from the gate. Turning, I closed the gate and pushed the bolt across to lock it and started making my way to the patio door. I ran thoughts through my head about what to say if mom was up and then  pressed down on the lever and entered the warm kitchen that had the smell of freshly cooked breakfast, and I knew there and then that she was up.

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Song 1: The Scientist by Chase Eagleson

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 Stepping into the warm kitchen nervously, I placed my feet firmly on the tiled floor and looked around for any signs of life. I knew she was up, because of the smell of breakfast. That worried me a whole lot. Then I saw her standing at the counter beside the fridge. She turned when she heard the patio door click after I closed it. She then smiled and said with a jolly ring to it, “Oh Sam, you’re awake.” That was short lived, because her expression changed from a happy go lucky one to a small frown. But she didn’t say a whole lot; instead, she suggested that I go shower and come back down to talk. She could see that I  had been out all night, because I had some dirty patches of green on my clothes and face from the grass.

 I didn’t protest or even try to defend myself. I know she knew that much for sure. I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, worrying about what was going to become of me when I went back down to talk to her. My mom was never violent, or had harsh punishments, as she knew that that didn’t really help a person to grow. But disappointment, on the other hand, is not something I wanted to give back to her for being an awesome mom -  well, most of the time. Sometimes she’s a little bossy, but I guess that’s a mom for you. Nonetheless, she always seemed willing to listen before coming to a conclusion. I hopped in the shower and washed the dirt away from my body and it slid down my body with the water and accumulated in the base of the shower. I could feel the cool murky water around my toes as I hurried to clean up and go back down, so as not to keep her waiting; but also, partly to get it over with. I didn’t want anything fresh or new hanging over me. I had enough crap to be dealing with; I didn’t need a new pressure added when I could easily get it out of the way. Getting dried and dressed, I tossed my dirty clothes into the laundry and descended the stairs with a new surge of nervousness. Walking into the kitchen, mom was sitting at the table, eating her breakfast, when I walked in.

She looked up from the table and quickly put her fork and knife on the plate in front of her and pushed the plate away.

 Sliding into the wooden chair at the other end of the table, I sat straight up in the uncomfortable chair, waiting for her to begin. The awkward silence was an assault on my ears.

 “Where were you?”, she abruptly said, as she reached for her glass of water and took a gulp. There could have been hundreds of reasons why I came back in looking like I spent the night in a hobo camp. I decided I would go with a pretty lame one. I must really think, before I say something in the future.

 “I was out for a jog,” I lied, trying to keep my composure. But I think she had me figured from how nervous I was. I don’t think I was ever that good a liar to mom. She could always decode everything.

 She then stated coldly, as she accused me of lying, “I know you were not out jogging, Sam; do I look like an idiot?” Unsure of where to look, I looked down at the table feeling vulnerable. Being interrogated made me feel small.

 “Sam, look at me,” she demanded; yet it was still in her talking voice, but stern enough to make me look up at her.

 I felt myself getting a little shaky for unknown reasons as she lectured me about going out at night.

 “I don’t want you sneaking out.  God knows what could happen. I would have no idea where you were or whom you’re with. What if something bad happened or you met someone that was out to hurt people, after dark. What would happen if someone snatched you up; I’d never see you again.”

 I looked down at the table again in defeat, she did have a point. But with that being said, did she have to lecture me about it? I mean, I’ve already heard this an abundance of times. I guess even though I may have heard it lots of times before, I’m still doing it without questioning it. Just like when parents talk about stranger danger, while statistics usually suggest that most people are kidnapped by people they know. ‘Okay, that was a creepy thought, Sam. Let’s not think about kidnapping. I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Sighing, I heard her finish the end of her rant by saying, “Tell me Sam, what would you do if someone mugged you and something went bad. I mean honey, why do you feel like you have to sneak out?”

 She eyed me up waiting for my reply. I didn’t want to reply but I guess I had to get her to move on with the subject at hand. I had a feeling that lying was not going to cut it anymore and, anyway, I was sick of lying. So, I decided to tell her what I was really doing. After all, she was listening even though she was mad. Drawing in a breath I said with bated breath, “I’m sorry mom. I wanted to spent time with Austin.”

 “Austin, your friend?”, my mom quickly responded, clearly a little puzzled by my answer. Nodding my head from side to side in disagreement with her question.  I said to her, clearly embarrassed, “I’m not sure what we are. I think he is my boyfriend.”

 She looked at me with a serious glare that would tear anybody apart and said carefully yet with enough reassurance and humour, “Christ on a bike, Sam, you’re not… not doing… anything?”

 Completely in the dark I asked back, “doing anything?”, but the source of the question came to light when she gave me a knowing look. I quickly tried to repair the tear in the rift I had made and rambled onwards, “Whattttt… No! Gross!, no I don’t want to talk about sex with you.” Feeling uncomfortable my mom reassured me that she was looking out with my best interests at heart by saying, “Sam, I know it might be embarrassing but I want you to be safe.”

 Feeling deeply embarrassed and a little sheepish, I declared with all I had left of courage to say, “I’m not sleeping with him, MOM!”

 There was a pause for a moment before she said “You’re not?” She looked like she was slightly confused. She most likely thought she was on the right trail of what I was doing out all night. But the truth was far from that.

 “No…”, I insisted.

 “Then why are you sneaking out?” She asked slowly trying to recompose herself after making the wrong judgment that clearly took her off course.

 Drawing to a conclusion, I said what my heart felt and not what my brain told me to say: “Because it feels good to spend time with someone who understands me.”

 “Are you saying I don’t understand you?”, she asked sincerely, appearing a little saddened by my remark.

 “Not everything. I don’t even understand me. So how would you understand.”

 She broke eye contact with me as she looked around the room trying to think of what to say next. She drew in a deep breath and then said confidently, “Okay, I may not know what you’re going through, but I want to help.”

 I stood back up and pushed the chair back a bit, stepped out away from the table and stressed, “You can help by leaving me alone!” Turning away from her, I started to walk toward the door. I just wanted this conversation to be over, but my mom’s voice bellowed through the room. I fumbled and turned in fright from her roar and I pressed my back up against the breakfast counter. “Sam! Get back here”, she had said. It was so simple yet it scared the crap out of me. I never really heard my mom scream before. But this was definitely not a side I favoured. Directing my attention back to the end of the kitchen table where she was sitting, she looked at me with piercing eyes.

 “I don’t get you; you’re very secretive and moody lately. She asserted. I just stood there with my back to the counter, feeling both guilty and also partly annoyed. I didn’t want to take anymore of this crap. I was getting crap from all angles no matter where I went. I know my mom was not the reason I was annoyed, but that didn’t help. I started to roar at the top my lungs. I was screaming so loud that it hurt my vocal cords, but my mom didn’t budge; she just sat there and let me scream at her. But I didn’t stop; I just kept screaming at my mom, the person I look up to for all the answers, for support and for guidance.

 “Ugh… I’m sick of people assuming that there’s something wrong with me and jumping to conclusions that they know what is best for me.” I felt the anger in my chest. I felt my hand feel hot and my throat hurt a little.

 “I do know what is best for you”, my mom scoffed back in a cold demeanour.

“No… you don’t,” I said, feeling sorry partly for myself and also sorry for shouting at her. It was not my intention to shout at her, but she was making everything so ‘UGH’; everything was already flustered as it is. ‘Sigh.’

 There was an eerie pause from both of us as we drew both our conclusions on what was just said and where the conversation or fight could possibly go. Mom didn’t say anything and I grew impatient and asked, “can I go now?”

 “No, you can’t go yet!” she scolded as she had begun to constantly shake her right leg, gaining a skillful rhythm. She usually did that when she was stressed or had something on her mind. I think that, deep down, she was just worried about me and she wanted to try and help in any way that she could, but for me it was making things harder and more stressful. Maybe it was just in the moment but it was getting to a point where I was starting to get pissed off at everyone and anything that had any sort of garbage to fling in my direction. Crying on the inside, I held back my sharp cold words, given it was my mother and said “Why are you making things so hard for me?”

 She shook her head subconsciously and argued “I’m not making anything difficult. I’m looking for an explanation. Are you doing drugs or any hobbies that would be classified as misconduct?” I felt my world being bombarded even further. Did mom know what I did at Ethan’s; did Ethan know it was me and told his parents. Did my mom get a call from the police or Ethan’s mother? Are the police going to come and arrest me?

 I was slowly working myself up into a frenzy. I knew I was guilty but what else could I do? The vandalism had already happened and I couldn’t exactly do anything about it now, could I, other than confront it head on. I felt myself going weak at the knees from fear and I quickly added “No! I’m not causing trouble.” Breaking the long pause, that I had possibly just displayed,  evidently made me look guiltier.

 “So, help me god, Sam…, if you bring trouble to this door I’ll disown you if you’re not honest with me”, she sternly said.

 I felt a crushing blow to my ego. My heart felt crushed and I felt like I was going to cry. I meanly retorted, “Just like dad…?”

 “No Sam, you took me wrong… What I meant….”, she tried to hurriedly say, appearing a little choked up.

 Drawing in an exasperated sigh, I sadly and bitterly snapped, “I understand. Why don’t you just pack your bag like he did and fuck off.” Pushing away from the countertop, I ran for the kitchen door and up the stairs. Pushing my bedroom door open I swung it as hard as I could and the sound ricocheted through the walls of the house. I knew I had slammed the door too hard but I didn’t care; I was really hurt by her remark. I turned and planted my face onto my bed and dug my head into my pillow and started to cry.

 About an hour went by, possibly and I still hadn’t budged from the position I lay in. The room was so quiet and calm; I thought I was beginning to drift off when a sharp rat-a-tat chimed on my bedroom door. Lifting my head up off the pillow I looked over toward the closed door. A familiar muffled voice asked from outside, “Can I come in?” Dropping my head back to the pillow I chose to ignore the person. After a couple seconds, I heard the door open with a slight creak and the faint fluttering behind me draw closer to my bed.

 I felt a disturbance of weight shift down where my legs where, as the person sat down. “Sam, can we talk?”, a soft and gentle voice asked. I was still mad at my mom, I didn’t feel like talking. I just had nothing to say, so what was the point in dragging out a conversation when I had nothing to say? The solitude in the room returned before mom worked up the courage to state, “Sam, there is something obviously wrong, so if you have done something wrong, I want to try and help you sort it out. I don’t like to see you upset like this. Whatever it is it can be sorted.”

 Feeling my pillow become a little damp from fresh tears, I cried my frustration into the pillow, “I just want things to be normal.”

 She said softly and assured me, “You are normal, hunny.” I felt her hand start to rub my back as she tried to comfort me. But I was not in the mood for human contact at that moment and I shrugged her off as I sat up, forcing her to stop.

 “Don’t touch me.” I declared, as soon as I had said that I did feel a little bad, because she was trying to comfort me. I guess there was just something that was comforting when she tried to console me. She was the only one I knew that could produce that sort of feeling. I have never come across another human that could make me quite feel like my mom did; the only other human that can come close to making me feel good was Austin, but that was different; that was more like compassion. In an odd way my mom made me feel proud of myself for no reason whatsoever; it was just like a vibe that was constant.

The room fell silent once again as the sounds of the outside world crept in. The car driving by outside on the street and the birds chirping were all evident in the time it took me to respond. “Do you promise you won’t leave me if I’ve done something bad?”, I asked with a sense of uneasiness.

 She moved up toward me, now sitting by my side. I had turned upright during the ‘Don’t touch me’ moment and was now leaning with my back against the headboard of my bed. “Sam I’d never leave you. You know what I meant; I’m just trying to find out who you are. I want to know the real you.” She said, trying to be supportive. Breaking eye contact with her, I looked down at my lap and figured that I owed her an apology for what I had said downstairs. It just slipped out in the moment, I wasn’t even thinking of what was coming out of my mouth. Secretly hoping she would except my apology and my need for a hug, I gently ushered, “I’m sorry for what I said downstairs,” as I leaned in for a hug.

 I felt a sense of peace take over my body with the hug and assurance from her. It was a comfort that I could still get a hug off her, even if she was mad at me. With my head snuggled into her chest, I experienced the warmth radiating from her body and her soft skin caress the side of my face as she held me.

 After a couple of seconds of just her holding me she then held me tighter and asked gently, as she tried to pry into what was on my mind. “Did you do something wrong?”, she questioned, but it was in a mellow and gentle voice, free from all accusations and contempt. I then couldn’t hold on any longer and I felt my chest convulse and I start to slowly sob into her chest. She didn’t really say anything and she didn’t demand an answer from me straight away. She just let me cry into her. I did want to tell her what I had done, but part of me told me to keep my trap shut. I didn’t want to cause more conflict exactly after I had just calmed myself down. But I just hoped that she wouldn’t push me to tell her what was actually on my mind. I hated when she did that; she sometimes would not let me go anywhere and demand that I tell her what was wrong, but she didn’t this time; she was actually holding me and didn’t let what was happing right in front of her cloud her emotion. She was actually distraught. She was worried for me and she did the only thing she knew how to do best as a mother and that was to hold me and have my back no matter what sort of trouble or problems I was having. It was still comforting to know that even if she didn’t have all the answers to everything she would try her utmost best to help me with my problems and get them sorted out as quickly as possible so they would not drag on for me.

 “I can’t tell you”, I objected, hoping that she would just wait till I was ready to say what I needed to say instead of pursuing  any further for more information. It wasn’t that I was not ready; I just didn’t know how to tell her what I had done. I usually thought I was good. I’ve never done anything like this before, so it would take a little time to understand how I should approach telling her. I didn’t want anyone else disappointed with me.

 “Why not?”, she asked with a quizzical expression.

 “Because I’m ashamed,” I dryly stated.

 “You have nothing to be ashamed of hunny,” she added before slowly taking my hand and rubbing it. She looked into my eyes to reassure me that no matter what I did, that she would not be disappointed.

 With a crack in my voice I weakly said, “I need some time to think about how to tell you.”

 “Sam, give me some credit,” she reprimanded and gave a weak smile to try and encourage me to open up to her.

 “I am… I just need time.” I assured her, trying to sound convincing. Feeling a little nervous I felt that the conversation had concluded. I had Austin in the back of my mind and I wasn’t sure I was in trouble for being out the entire night, so I sheepishly asked, “Am I grounded?”

 “No… you’re not grounded. I did this sort of thing as a teenager myself. But I am going to confiscate your bike for a while.” she emphatically admonished.

 Thinking of what to say, I felt a little crushed and annoyed that she took my main form of transportation away. But at the same time, I think I was also glad that I didn’t get something more severe. She let me off with a warning. I knew that walking would take longer, but I guess it was better than sitting at home grounded.

 “I need to go to Austin’s to work on my science project with him”, I asked her more than told her. I was more or less looking for clarification that it was okay for me to leave the house without being in trouble, because I could not believe that I was not grounded for being out late.

 She then smiled softly and said firmly, “alrighty, but first you’re having breakfast, and you’re to be home by six.

 “A curfew?” I asked in a short squall. Great, I thought, she takes my bike and now she wants me to be home at 6. That’s when babies go to sleep. That was totally unfair.

 “Do you want to take it or leave it?” She asked after becoming a little inpatient over my response.

 Looking down away from her with disappointment, I mumbled a faint “I’ll take it.” She could see I was not impressed, but I guess that’s what moms were supposed to do, right?

 She began to stand up and say “Okay, well come get breakfast and then you can be off.” I was so surprised that it was over. She didn’t demand anymore answers to her questions; she just left the room like that. Getting a grip on reality I quickly slid off the bed and went into my bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable for when I would go to meet up with Austin. I wiped away some of the tears from under my eyes that had dried into the faint black circles under my eyes. I turned on the cold tap and cupped my hands together and threw fresh water up into my face.

Afterwards I dabbed my now reddened face with a towel, tried to fix my hair a little as it had become a little messy and grabbed my backpack on the way out the door.

 I sat down at the table and saw that mom had put on a fresh breakfast for me since my other breakfast had gone cold. I questioned myself where Lauran was but mom just said she had a sleep-over at a friend’s house. I asked mom about taking the fishing rods and she said that they were in the shed somewhere. I was allowed to take them if I could find them. Those were her exact words. I quickly ate breakfast, brushed my teeth and continued a now somewhat easier conversation with mom. She was talking about Jonathan’s graduation and the plans what we would make for it. She said that we would most likely leave early that morning or the night before, to see Jonathan and then turn up for his graduation ceremony the next day. My mom also talked about either driving or possibly getting a plane to the city. I think she was more in favour of the plane, since she was not one for long journeys.

 After breakfast I brushed my teeth and headed outside in search of those fishing rods that I said to Austin he could use. I had my own fishing rod, though it was old enough. Me and Jonathan used to go fishing some weekends. Not that I was into fishing back then. I found it quite boring, but my brother tried to make time for me and that I did appreciate. Now that we don’t do it anymore I miss the small activity. Maybe when Jonathan returns home, he might go fishing with me again, hopefully. Unlocking the shed door, I went inside and poked around and ended up at the very back of the shed that had barely seen any use. The shelves where covered in a thick dust and everything that was crammed into the back we had no intention to ever use again. I then saw a pole of a rod jutting up from the side of the cupboards that were mounted to the walls. I climbed over a work bench that dad used to use and pulled out two fishing rods and placed them on the workbench behind me.

Sliding back across the work area, I grabbed the rods and headed back outside. I quickly had a look at them to see if they still worked and to my surprise they actually still worked. I closed the shed door and started to walk towards my bike. I was going to mount them to the frame but then I heard a knock at the window. I looked up and saw my mom waving her finger.

 ‘God’, I thought. ‘This is ridiculous; this is going to look weird with me waltzing down the street with two fishing rods.’

I gave mom a puppy look but she wasn’t buying it, so I just dropped the rods out of frustration and went back inside. I picked up my backpack and made sure I had my wallet before going back outside and heading off into town with one fishing rod in each hand. Talking to myself from annoyance, I stopped at a hardware store and went around in the shop with my two poles, which was awkward. I was looking for catgut and hooks. I remember my brother saying that catgut was made from the intestines of horses and sheep. I remember I didn’t like that thought when I was younger but now, handling the stuff in my hand, I walked to the counter after I had found it and bought the fishing line and hooks. The man behind the counter asked did I have bait and I said no and he asked would I like to buy fifty worms for $5 dollars. I was probably being ripped off, my brother used to actually catch the worms but I hadn’t got time for that. I paid with the little money I had and then headed on toward the hangout where me and Austin agreed to meet.

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Song 2: Red Gold Yesterday by LUCHS

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 Once I got there, I put the fishing rods down and started to unwrap the packaging for the catgut and set the rods up as I waited for Austin to come along. I was there about fifteen minutes when Austin finally turned up, fashionably late like always. I watched as Austin cautiously surveyed his footing as he descended the hill. I immediately smiled at him. He had changed into a fresh white Hollister t-shirt and beige chinos, with a pair of grey converse. “You’re late…”, I teased as he approached me. Standing up to greetme, he extended both his arms cutely and then cloaked me with a hug that was unexpected. I looked around and started to grin for a moment as he held me. I was not expecting this; he was clinging to me like a lost puppy, which was all too cute. “I missed you”, he gently purred as he broke his embrace. I was lost in heaven for a moment, as I could still smell Austin’s scent. It was only identifiable to him and him alone. I knew it was his smell and I was slowly becoming intoxicated by it. That hug was really needed and a good surprise. I smiled at him and scooped up Jonathan’s fishing rod and handed it to him. I told him that I had been true to my promise and found him a fishing rod. He took it and I picked up mine and we headed down the small dip in the hill to the water. Austin had trouble trying to cast his line. I did too, oddly. It had been a while since I last fished. I kind of forgot how to fish, well not really, but I needed practice. I showed him what I knew about fishing. In reality I knew nothing. But I tried to keep up the act for as long as possible. I didn’t want to mess up and make him think I looked dumb. We finally  got into the swing of things and when it came to actually put some bait on a hook, Austin was too gentle to even handle a worm. So, I just pinched the worms between my index and thumb and pulled them through the hooks. After a couple of minutes, we were actually fishing.

 Everything was going well and we were talking about what Austin would do when he was in Seattle. I did wish I could come too, it sounded like fun. Like going around all the landmarks and eating out. But I knew that it would be a big thing, asking to go with him. I was a little jealous that he would be gone and I found myself thinking about what I would do while he was gone. That question quickly would come up, now that I don’t talk to Ethan anymore and half the school is talking about me behind my back. What would I do for like two weeks? I thought that if I went to Ethan’s house and make an apology for the damage I had done that would cover a couple of days, but what would happen after that?

Yeah, me and Austin talked that he would skype with me from Seattle, but that wasn’t the same thing. I felt like I was going to feel totally lost and on my own. But I tried hard not to think of what was to come. I didn’t want  any fun me and Austin were having to end just yet. More importantly, I didn’t want to be in a sad place again, today.

 About an hour passed and the sun grew hot. I was starting to sweat slightly as the humidity spiked. I was starting to grow bored with the fishing. Usually it was something that passed the time when my brother was around, but it only passed about an hour of our time. I knew that we couldn’t spend our entire Saturday sitting around doing nothing. We needed to also start on our science project. Looking out at the water I drew my fishing line in. I asked Austin, “So what are we going to do for our science project?” Austin shrugged and the silence intensified for a moment as he was obviously thinking.

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Song 3: Everything by City Of The Sun

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 He set down his fishing pole and turned his back to me. I thought I had said something to offend him. Did I spoil the moment or something? I hope I didn’t. But before I could even think a large clump of mud was hurled in my direction from Austin and hit my right shoulder and my neck. I felt a cold shudder spread through my body from the contact of watery mud. I sat for a moment trying to figure out what to do next. I was in shock, but it wasn’t bad. It was like ‘Oh you did not just do that’ sort of shock. Giving Austin a cheeky grin I reached forward into the murky river water and felt for the slimy river bed.

 Clenching my fists, I pulled out of the water a mixture of mud, weeds, and algae and tossed it toward Austin’s head. The tassels of the weeds draped down over Austin’s drenched hair and partially mucky t-shirt. Austin immediately cringed and protested his disgust, “Ewwwww! it slimy…” He stated as he lifted the pile from the top of his now tousled and damp hair and chucked it on the bank beside him. He shot to his feet with a giggle as bent down to retrieve another handful of dirt and flung it my direction. I then saw the dirt flying through mid-air and started to turn and get up on my feet, which is when the bits of mud and pebbles hit my shoulder plexus. I was slightly winded for a second but as I stumbled forward I grabbed a dirty clod of soil and threw it over my head. I heard the splashing and misty spray of water from behind. Looking around Austin used both his hand as a funnel to splash water from the river.

 The water didn’t touch me all that much. I knew the river was safe, and the current seemed gentle. So, I kicked off my shoes and dropped my phone beside Austin’s, and I ran into the water with full steam ahead. Austin retreated when he saw me running directly for him; he quickly found the hem of his t-shirt and peeled the layer of clothing that was clinging to his body and tossed it at me with a strong hurl. I put my two arms up in the form of an X to shield my face and I felt the drenched t-shirt flop on and stick to my forearms. I quickly tossed the top back toward the shore and continued to pursue Austin. In a flash he hobbled on one foot as he reached below the surface of the water to catapult not one, but two of his converse shoes at me. One of the shoes hit me, which hurt, while the second shoe flew past me and landed on the bank. I decided to skin a layer of my clothing, reached for the bottom rim of my top and threw it toward the shore along with Austin’s shoe, but my t-shirt veered off and draped on top of a rock on the shore where we had been sitting.

 Wading waist-high in the river, I heaved myself forward and came crashing down in the water just centimetres from Austin. The two of us challenged each other to duel of water fighting. It was fun and challenging, being constantly blinded from the projectiles that Austin was sending my way. I was unsure whether I was actually splashing him or not. Either  way, I enjoyed the fooling around. After the intense splashing spree, we both calmed down and just swam around for a little and talked about things.

 I have to admit that Austin looked pretty damn cute. It was the first time I had seen him shirtless and I have to admit that I kind of liked what I saw. His stomach was completely flat and was beginning to show some abdominal muscles. He would have been any girls dream boy at that moment. He could have been one of those Hollister lifeguards that are featured on the brochures when they had stock to announce. He really did look model worthy. But after a bit we got out of the river because Austin started complaining that the water was starting to getting cold. So, we lay on bank for a while and let the sun dry us. I know we didn’t think this through. I mean, we didn’t bring a fresh pair of clothes and we didn’t even bring towels. I guess it is true what they say, “You can’t plan fun.” This was totally unexpected. I was a mucky mess; my entire torso and legs were covered with a mixture of gooey mud.

 When I looked over at Austin he was similar, his entire body was as mucky as mine. He lay on his back with his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sun on his skin. You could see the partials of his veins emanating from his shoulders that brewed deep under layers of grime. I took in the sight of beauty that was lying next to me. His arms rested by his side and his soft dynamic breathing was a fresh of breath air to just even witness. ‘I was fixated on his body; that was weird, it was like a new discovery or something. He was filthy though. But at the same time, it was a nice sight to behold.

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Song 4: Then We Are Together Johan Soderqvist

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 After a couple of minutes we decided to grab our clothing, fishing rods, phones, and head back to Austin’s house. We quickly redressed with what we could. I put back on my shoes and my top which was practically dry, so I put it on. Austin on other hand kind of sulked and shivered the entire way home. It was funny at first, but then I felt sorry for my little minion. I offered him my dry shirt, and he kindly refused. As Austin wheeled his bike under his arm. He finally asked, “did you forget your bike?” I then told him what had happened at home and how I lost that privilege. We laughed about it and he finally stopped in his tracks and swung his leg over the bike frame. “Hope on”, he directed me. I stood on the pegs on the back of his bike and cycled the remainder of the journey to Austin’s house. I wrapped my free arm around his waist and held the fishing rods in the other. His t-shirt was still slightly damp. My head was resting against his back and I could smell a mixture of the river and Austin.

Time flew by quickly as I became lost in just hugging him. He didn’t say anything, so I just continued hugging him. When we finally arrived at his house, he shifted his legs to the ground so that we would be supported on the bike. He didn’t budge other than that. The two of us just hugged like that for about another minute in the driveway. He then sadly stated, as his stance on the bike got a little wobbly, “hey… Sam…, my legs are getting tired holding all the weight.”

 I felt a little disappointed that the small little act of intimacy had to end, bBut I understood. Austin pushed his bike up to the garage door where we hopped off, while I dropped my fishing rods on the flowerbed wall and then we went inside. His mom was busy cooking dinner in the kitchen and we got the chance to meet his dad who was working in the study. He was the first person we bumped into. He seemed like a nice man, just like Austin. We didn’t talk all that much because he was working but we exchanged a handshake and names. He said that his name was Thomas, and that he hoped that Austin wasn’t driving me insane just yet. We then went on to grab some fruit from the kitchen when Evelyn smiled and teased us about how dirty we both were. She said that we both should try and clean up somewhat before dinner. She asked if I wanted to stay for dinner and I agreed. As we were leaving the kitchen she called after Austin. “Austin get Sam a towel and a fresh pair of clothes if he wants to shower.”

 ‘Shower’, I thought, ‘in Austin’s house!’ It was definitely not something I had thought about, but it felt kind of naughty at the same time. We ended up back in Austin’s huge bedroom and I just finished an apple that I picked up from the kitchen, Austin headed into the en-suite that I hadn’t noticed the first time I was in his room. He came back out with a towel and then went to his wardrobe and peeled his wet t-shirt and kicked off his shoes at the same time. He confidently said “You can go first. I’ll find you some clothes.”

 I didn’t really hesitate and I headed into the bathroom and closed the door. The bathroom was so much larger than mine. It was a freshly tiled room and the shower stall was actually huge. The room was tiled with a black slate sort of tile. The shower was actually behind a glass block wall that went all the way up to the ceiling with an opening on one side for the user to enter.

I put the towel Austin had given me down on the toilet seat and I started to strip. I dropped everything on the floor and parts of the dried mud flakes separated from my clothing and dirtied the floor. Walking into the shower-room I turned on the nozzle for the hot water and without delay the water shot from the shower head. The warm water was a great sensation against my skin and it wasn’t long before I fully surrendered to the will of the warm water and completely stood under the warm flow.

 I tried getting most of the mud off my body by wiping my slippery skin with my hands. The water turn a light brown as I washed myself to a presentable state. I was thorough and quick. I lathered myself up with some of the shower gel that was on the racks on the walland gave my body and hair a final cleaning. It was then I that I became aware of a ridid attention grabber that was sticking directly out from my body just south of the border.

 In my effort to clean I had developed an unwanted erection. The only way I knew how to get rid of it was to wank. Come to think of it, I hadn’t masturbated in a while. Yet something felt wrong; it would feel kind of awkward to do it in Austin’s bathroom. But then the thought of being close to where Austin showered and was always naked quickly took over any rational thought and I slowly started to stroke myself. I was more or less teasing myself more than anything. I imaged what Austin would look likely full naked and I pictured the sight of his dick and torso and it drew me closer to a full-sprinted orgasm.

 I shifted all my weight back to the cool tiled wall and prepared for what was going to happen. Firing gusher after gusher I came so hard that I shuddered and got flushed from the euphoria that was coming from my penis. The sensation overtook me so that I had to press my arm against the glass wall to get some support, as I nearly lost the power of my legs. All my cum had shot directly out in front and landed on the floor. I could see some of the white ropes on thefloor, given that the tile was dark. I quickly cleaned up, trying not to miss a spot and then washed off before I turned the faucet off and grabbed my towel.

 I dried myself till I could be dried no more. I wrapped the towel around my waist and wiped the condensation away from mirror that was on the wall above Austin’s sink and looked at myself in the mirror and assured myself that I looked cute. I also checked closely for any pimples or anything that was deemed unacceptable. I pushed down on the lever for the door and opened it. Austin was sitting on his bed waiting for me to come out. I could feel the temperature drop and I had much rather got changed in the bathroom because it was warmer.

 Austin shot to his feet and grabbed a small pile of clothing that he had beside him that was neatly folded and rushed over to me. “Here’s your clothes,” he coyly stated. I bashfully smiled at him; it appeared that he had kept the clothes that I had left here when I came in the pouring rain.

Austin eyes wandered south for a second, checking out my stomach and looked up with a grin. I felt a little embarrassed but good at the same time, because he was checking me out.

“Thanks”, was all I could manage to say. I was a little taken aback that Austin had held onto something belonging to me for so long.

 He picked up his towel from his dresser beside the bathroom and said as he walked into the en-suite, “your belly button’s cute”, and closed the door. I looked down at my outie belly button and managed to smile about the oddness of the conversation. I placed my clothes on the end of his bed and dropped my towel, while I kept looking to and from the bathroom door. It’s not that I wanted Austin to see me naked, but getting changed has always been somewhat of a personal and private thing to me. While I got dressed I ruffled the damp towel back through my hair for the second and third time to try and get my hair as dry as I could get it. Austin was taking for ever, so I sat down for a couple of minutes on the end of the bed, but I quickly grew tired and resorted to rummaging through his drawers. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, I was just looking in general. I got a huge fright when my phone buzzed in my pocket and immediately looked back to the bathroom door in fear that I had been caught. But that was not the case. I sat down on the side of the bed and pulled my phone out from my pocket. There was a message from Ethan that said on the notification alert on the lock screen,

 Received: “I know it was you.”

 I felt saddened and all the fun that Austin and I had had today was quickly washed out when I read that. I didn’t send Ethan back a message, but I found myself wondering did he tell his mom and was the police going to be notified. I don’t know why I was afraid of the police so much, but did I deserve to go to jail? Maybe, I don’t know, but I heard what happens in jails also. By that time, Austin had finished in the shower.

He waltzed out and got dressed. I didn’t really look at him all that much, because my thoughts were preoccupied.

 After Austin got dressed I focused all the remaining energy I had on trying to come up with a project that he and I could present. We wanted to present something different, compared to everyone else’s set up, something that was personal yet would have a good scientific aspect behind it.

 I ended up bringing up fingerprints for some unknown reason and Austin immediately started going on about it. He mentioned that we could compare our fingerprints and family fingerprints. But I felt like it was a little too simple. I wanted to try something that had some research involved but Austin mentioned handwriting and it stuck. We could research the details of handwriting analysis and how people write, and how you could possibly tell what sort of person they are from their writing.

 It seemed interesting and seemed enticing. For the next hour or so we pieced together some relevant information about how different people’s writing is and different key aspects to watch for. Austin disappeared for a few minutes and came back holding a large cardboard fitting. He booted his computer up and opened Microsoft Word and typed into the text document. “What does your handwriting say about you?” and printed it. He cut out the writing on the A4 page with a pair of scissors from his desk and stuck it to the middle of the cardboard fitting.

 It was fun learning something with Austin. I learned that there were a couple of different slants to people’s writing; it appeared that people who have no slant to their writing don’t let emotion get the better of them. People who slant their text to the right are usually open minded and enjoy meeting new people and experiencing new things. I also learned that people who slanted to the left, may typically keep to themselves. I found myself trying to compare myself to one of the three. I established that I belonged to the right slanted group of people. I couldn’t help but notice, but I had a good presumption that Ethan belonged to the left slanted group. Austin was slanted the right along with me. It was fun, most of it. I did some colourful drawings to empathise what the different writings looked like and we slowly but surely pieced together a finished project in under two hours.

 After that I went downstairs with Austin as dinner was ready. We had a nice Italian dish, and his mom offered to drive me since I had no bike. As we were walking out to the car, I asked Austin did he want to hold onto the project and he said he would. Picking up the fishing rods and my dirty laundry (in a plastic bag), I climbed into the back of car. Austin sat on the far side and looked out the window as we were driven. We just talked about how interesting the new subject was and we hoped that our information  was quite accurate.

 When the car finally pulled up outside my house, I glanced down to find the seatbelt and unbuckled myself. I gave Austin a warm smile and leaned across in the back of the car and pulled him in for a hug. His mom didn’t say anything; she just eyed me up in her rear  mirror before she smiled.

 “Bye, Sam”, Austin said and smiled bashfully. Giving him a small nod, I said bye to Evelyn and hopped out of the car. I got my fishing rods and laundry and walked the remainder of the footpath up to my door and turned and waved as Austin and his mom drove off with the honk of a horn.

 I turned around and drew in a breath and opened the door. I was ready to face the world if the police were to knock and arrest me for my crimes. Closing the door behind me, I couldn’t control the happiness emanating from my insides about the day I had just spent with Austin. Yet, I still had the uneasy unanswered message I got from Ethan. I found myself wondering how the next day would go. Would it be stormy seas, plain sailing, or would stuff really go to shit?  I guess I would have to wait to find out. Only time would tell.

The End Of Part 12

 f you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading.

Please, comments are welcome. Actually needed.

 Regards

Danny (Your Writerly Friend)

 

Contact and find me on these sites. I’ll be posting daily updates on Tumblr 

Email - danny2017writing@outlook.com

Twitter - @author_daniels

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Bibliography of LGBTQ stories by D.K. Daniels, on Nifty

 Even If We Tried (First Draft) - Gay Male, Young friends

Spring Tide (Unfinished)- Gay Male, Young friends

As They Say (On-going) - Gay Male, Young friends

Our Little Darlings (Stand-Alone Edit)- Gay Male, High School

Ghouls, Goblins & Ghastly Boys (Mini-Series)- Gay Male, Young Friends

Light The Night (Mini-Series) - Gay Male, Young Friends

 Bibliography of LGBTQ stories by D.K. Daniels, on Iomfats

 Who We Are (Listed under D.K. Daniels Author)