Mayfield Titans

 

CHAPTER 74

TWEEN ANGST

 

SUNDAY, MAY 31      

 

After Aiden arrived home from Nolan’s, he had lunch with his dads. He downed two bologna sandwiches and a banana for lunch. His room remodel was going to start the next day, and while he had moved the clothing he needed to the guest room, there was still much that had to be done. He and his dads set to work with the final preparations. The major piece of work was taking down the model railroad that circled his room. While Aiden took care of the railroad, Larry and Phil hung the large plastic protective sheets the contractors had provided over the closet door, Aiden’s desk and bookshelves, and over his bed that had been stripped of bedding. They moved Aiden’s desktop computer and television to the guest room, along with his backpack, schoolbooks, and, of course, Horace.

 

Satisfied that Aiden was set to cope with his weeklong disruption, they went to the Mariner watching room to watch the Mariners lose a 4-3 game to the Giants in San Francisco. Marty’s father and his brother, John, had flown down for the weekend series. Marty went 0-for-4 in the game, but he had given his father and brother reason to cheer the night before with a two-run homer in a 6-3 win.

 

About fifteen minutes after the game ended, Larry’s parents arrived. They had volunteered to be the watch dogs during construction so neither Larry nor Phil would have to take time off from work. The contractor required that the owner or a representative of the owner be at the house whenever interior work was being performed. Al and Jennifer Sanders were retired and saw the five days in Mayfield as an opportunity to be around their family, especially Aiden, who, while he hadn’t hit a big growth spurt yet, had grown, matured, or changed in some way every time they saw him.

 

Aiden had just sat down in his viewing chair when his grandparents’ car came up Lakeshore Drive. He dashed out the front door screaming, “Grandpa Al, Grandma Jen!!!” He wanted to be sure to get the first hugs in.

 

“Well, if it isn’t Aiden, our favorite grandson,” Jennifer beamed as she gave Aiden a big hug.

 

“That’s because I’m your only grandson,” Aiden reminded her.

 

“Which gives you a lot of room to be extra special.”

 

Larry and Phil came down the steps as Grandpa Al hugged his grandson and more hugs were quickly exchanged. Since the grandparents would be overnighting at the Mayfield Inn, there was no reason to bring anything into the house. When Larry arranged for his parents to spend the week playing watch dog, the plan had been for them to sleep in the guest room and for Aiden to move down to the basement and sleep on the pullout bed. The Sanders insisted, however, that Aiden’s life was being disrupted enough without his having to sleep in the basement. After doing some negotiating, it was agreed that Larry and Phil would pay for half the hotel charge for the week. Paying for meals was open for further negotiation, although most of the meals would be eaten at the Miller residence.

 

They ate out at the Mayfield Inn that evening. The Sanders paid for the dinner. Larry and Phil knew better than to argue and let them have their way. Most of the conversation centered around Aiden and how quickly he seemed to be growing, how school was going, and especially, baseball.

 

“I have games on Tuesday and Thursday,” Aiden announced when the topic of baseball came up. He knew his grandparents had been given his schedule, but he wanted to make sure they didn’t forget. Then he realized how lame that sounded since they were going to be hanging around his family all week, so what else would they be doing other than watching baseball those two evenings? He also had a game on Saturday afternoon but knew his grandparents would be leaving for home Saturday morning since they were going to a concert Saturday night.

 

Aiden felt strange and out of sorts sleeping in another room that night. He had a tough time figuring out why, since he often spent the night away from home or in another room when he had a big party. He grabbed Horace and thought of going to his fathers’ room and sleeping with them but ended up falling asleep cuddled with his stuffed donkey.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 1

 

Aiden woke up the next morning to his alarm and instantly caught the smell of breakfast cooking. He rose from his bed, walked out the door, and turned the wrong way, forgetting he had slept across the hall from his own room. He turned and walked to the landing where he took in the aroma and sound of bacon cooking. Since his dad only cooked breakfast on weekends, he figured his Grandma Jen had come in early to cook.

 

He showered quickly, dressed, and rushed down the stairs. His Pop was eating breakfast with Grandpa Al. They each had a plate of French toast along with bacon in front of them on the table. “Good morning, son,” Larry greeted.

 

“Good morning, Grandpa. Good morning, Pop. Looks like Grandma came in to cook.”

 

“She said she was going to cook breakfast for us all week, and this takes care of day one.”

 

Aiden grinned, went into the kitchen, gave Grandma Jen a hug, and soon walked out with his own French toast and bacon breakfast. “Wow, this is a special treat.”

 

“Is that what it takes to get you to wake up in a good mood, special treats?”

 

“It worked this morning. I had trouble getting to sleep but once I zonked out I was gone until my alarm went off. I almost came downstairs to sleep with you guys, but Horace cuddled me to sleep.”

 

Before Aiden could finish his breakfast, the construction crew arrived in a green pickup with the company name embossed on the doors. Larry let them into the house and led them up to the bedroom. He knew the supervisor had all the specs and was familiar with the house, but he wanted to make sure nothing else needed to be done in the bedroom before he and Aiden left for school.

 

“You’ve done everything we’ve asked,” Owen Cutler, the supervisor said. The other two workers followed him to the room.

 

“Let me introduce you to my mother and father,” Larry said. “They’re in charge of the house while Phil and I are at work, and the little one is at school.”

 

“Hey, who are you calling little?” Aiden protested.

 

“You’re going to be in more than a little bit of trouble if you don’t hustle out to the bus stop before your bus gets here.”

 

The day at school went by quickly and when Aiden got home he was surprised to see that the contractor was still there. After giving it a moment’s thought, he realized he shouldn’t have been surprised—after all not everybody worked teachers’ hours, his Dad being a prime example.

 

As soon as Aiden came through the front door, Grandma Jen started cooking up mac and cheese, which she had already prepared for his pre practice meal. Before starting his homework, Aiden took a peek at his bedroom, where the contractors were busily removing ceiling tiles. He saw that his desk had been removed from the wall and was on its side next to his bed. The sheetrock had been removed and he could see the studs and the outer wall. Things were moving along quickly.

 

“I can’t believe those construction guys didn’t leave a big mess,” Aiden told his grandpa after the contractors left.

 

“True professionals clean up their construction mess at the end of every day. It saves them from having to do a lot of work later, it also helps them keep track of what they’ve finished, and they don’t have to waste time looking for tools and equipment. From what I’ve seen, your dads have hired a first-rate company.”

 

His grandpa gave him a ride to practice, telling him one of his dads would pick him up. “Your grandma and I are going to chill for the evening.”

 

“I thought only kids chilled, and old people took naps.”

 

“We can offer you youngsters some good lessons in chilling. After all, we’ve spent a lifetime perfecting the art.”

 

Aiden chatted for a bit with Nolan after getting home from practice. “I miss my bedroom,” he told his boyfriend.

 

“Get over it. It’s going to be ten times as good when it’s finished,” Nolan said.

 

“I know, I just feel weird is all. And how do you know how many times better my room’s going to be?”

 

“It comes from getting A’s in math.”

 

Before going to bed that night, Aiden tried unsuccessfully to get himself into his night before a game zone. He tossed and turned, holding on to Horace. He thought about baseball and focusing, which didn’t work. He tried jerking off to relax but couldn’t get into it. He chided himself for being stupid. He finally fell asleep by counting donkeys which he thought was even stranger than not being able to fall sleep thinking about baseball, which usually worked the night before a game.

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

 

Aiden woke up grumpy and tried hard to hide it. His astute grandmother noticed the difference from the day before. “What happened to the big morning smile I saw yesterday?” she asked.

“I’m not a morning person,” Aiden grumped.

 

“You could have fooled me yesterday.”

 

“Well, I didn’t sleep good and I don’t feel ready to play a game today and so I guess that makes me a grump.”

 

“You have a lot of time to get your mind ready for your game.”

 

“I have to start the night before to be totally ready.”

 

“I hope your breakfast helps to jump start whatever it is your mind needs to do.”

 

“It won’t hurt.”

 

Breakfast was pancakes, eggs, and sausage. I could get used to this, Aiden thought. He understood why his dads didn’t cook up big breakfasts on school days, which meant that having Grandma Jen around was a special treat. He wolfed down his bigger than usual breakfast, then went upstairs to brush his teeth, wash off his face, and get his hair combed, even though it would probably be a mess by the end of first period.

 

Aiden felt out of sorts the entire bus ride to school. Kalie read his mood and, outside of saying good morning, decided to keep to herself. Aiden was upset that she didn’t talk to him, not realizing he would have been equally upset if she HAD talked to him.

 

Gordy and Miles were waiting under the bus platform cover when Aiden stepped off the bus. “Hey, Aiden,” Gordy said, holding up a hand for Aiden to high five. Aiden slapped Gordy’s hand, grunted a greeting to Miles, and walked to the front foyer with them. He saw Mac approach him and wished he had been able to come to school in disguise. He had no desire to talk to anybody, even his catcher.

 

“All zoned in for tonight?” Mac asked.

 

“No,” Aiden answered truthfully. “I couldn’t get focused last night.”

 

“Oh, well, you’ll have it figured out by gametime, and if you don’t you’ve always got me to chew your ass out.”

 

When gametime came, Aiden didn’t have anything figured out except that since he was the starting pitcher he was going to have to go out to the mound and be ready to do something, even if it was wrong.

 

The Yard Goats were facing the West Centralia Wildcats at the Centralia Recreation Center. They were the visiting team, so they would be batting first. The Goats went down in order in the top of the first. Aiden, who was batting second, popped out weakly to short.

 

Aiden had not been sharp during his warmup in the bullpen, and it quickly showed when he walked the leadoff batter on four pitches. Two batters later he had walked the bases full and there was still nobody out. Mac asked the umpire for time and walked out to the pitchers’ mound where Aiden stood sulkily.

 

“Until fifteen minutes ago you were the best control pitcher on the team. What’s your problem?” Mac demanded.

 

“I still can’t get focused,” Aiden said lamely.

 

“Fuck getting focused. Get your head out of your ass so you can see my mitt and hit the target. I'll do the thinking - you just do the pitching.” Without waiting for a reply, Mac turned and walked back to home plate. Aiden glared at him, his sulkiness turning to anger.

 

Mac called for a fastball on the outside corner. Instead, Aiden fired a fastball that sailed over Mac’s reach and bounced off the backstop for ball one.

 

“Aiden is better than this,” Larry told his parents as Coach Hallion called time and marched out to the pitcher’s mound, accompanied by Mac.

 

“He’s been in a bit of a gloomy mood all day,” Grandpa Al said.

 

“I’d say it’s more than a bit of a gloomy mood. I’d call it deep, dark mood.”

 

Coach Hallion wasn’t happy about having to come out to the mound one pitch after Mac had been out there. He hated using up two of the team’s mound visits on back-to-back pitches, but felt it was necessary. A team was allowed five total mound visits during a game.

 

“I wish you’d told me before the game that you didn’t want to pitch today,” Coach Hallion said. From Coach Hallion, that had to be classified as a royal butt chewing. “Are you hurt?”

 

“No, I’m fine,” Aiden muttered.

 

“Then pitch like you know you can. I don’t see anything wrong with your mechanics and you say you’re not hurt, so the problem has to be between your ears. You’re better than this and you know you’re better than this. It’s going to be up to you to pitch out of this jam.”

 

Aiden said nothing as Coach Hallion and Mac left the mound. Mac crouched behind the plate and Aiden focused on his target. It was the first time he’d focused on anything the entire game. He threw the pitch for a strike, evening the count at one and one. He was still out of rhythm however and ended up walking the batter on a full count, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

 

The next batter hit a deep fly ball to left which Riley caught for the first out. It was deep enough to score another run, however, and the Goats were now down 2-0. Aiden struck out the next batter, then gave up his fifth walk of the inning, before the eighth hitter to bat in the inning grounded out to Gordy at second.

 

When Aiden came off the field, he sat in his usual spot at the right end of the bench and his teammates did their usual job of not talking to him as was the routine in the games Aiden pitched. While he settled down the next inning and threw strikes, he still was out of rhythm and his location wasn’t as good as it should have been. He only walked one more batter over the next three innings, but he also gave up three more runs. The Goats were down 5-2 when Emmett came in to start the fifth inning.

 

The Yard Goats ended up with a 7-4 loss to the undefeated Wildcats. The Goats now owned a 1-2 record and were tied for fourth place in the five-team division. The mood after the game was glum. Coach Hallion attempted to perk up his team by reminding them they were a good team and had what it took to turn things around. “It’s now up to you to work toward the goal of a championship season. And trust me, it’s going to take some hard work, some very hard work.”

 

Aiden was prepared to get a chewing out from his dads on the way home, but Larry and Phil understood their son well enough to know not to push him. They did talk about what the team had to do to rise from the bottom part of the division to a playoff position.

 

“You still have fourteen league games left,” Larry said. “That’s plenty of time to turn things around, especially with the talent you guys have.”

 

“I’m sure Aiden and his teammates are prepared to work hard for success,” Grandma Jen said. “And I am looking forward to following their progress.”

 

After arriving home, Grandma Jen laid out some chocolate chip cookies for Aiden to snack on and then left with Grandpa Al for the Mayfield Inn. Aiden checked out the construction work while chomping on a cookie. The room looked bare, but the good news was about 25% of the new floor was laid and the framework for the sliding glass door to the balcony and the new windows had been installed. Aiden had noted that four men were now working on the project. He felt better now that he could see progress instead of destruction. It occurred to him that maybe the workers really did know what they were doing, and the project would be completed on time—weather permitting.

 

Aiden stripped naked and took his rightful seat on the recliner to take in the end of the Mariner game. Since it was being played against the Royals in Kansas City, the game had started at 5:30 Pacific time. As a result the game was in the top of the eighth with the M’s leading 5-2.

 

“Any room in that seat for an old man?” Phil asked as he entered the Mariner viewing room.

 

“Maybe for a while longer,” Aiden replied, stretching his arms and legs to remind his dad that he was growing and taking up more space in the chair. Phil shrugged and took a seat in the love seat, instead. He figured Aiden had endured a tough day and he’d save the chair ownership argument for another time. Even though a lot of Aiden’s problems that day were his own creation, Phil understood that Aiden needed his own space for the evening.

 

Aiden heard his phone ping from an incoming text, He reached onto the end table next to the chair and logged into his phone. He was surprised to see that the text was from Mac.

 

“r u ok?” the text asked.

 

“I’m better. wished we’d won tho. Thnx for asking.”

 

“was I being an asshole today?”

 

“no, you were being my catcher. sorry I was so out of it.” Aiden had this idea that his texts should be correctly written, but some days he was better at doing it than others.

 

“r u going to 4th dimention meeting 2morrow?”

 

“Probably not.”

 

“ok, cya in school”

 

“laters”

 

The Mariners ended their half of the eighth while the two chatted. When the bottom of the inning started, his phone rang. This call was from Nolan. Phil didn’t have to ask who it was from; the smile on his son’s face said it all.

 

The boyfriends discussed the progress in the room renovation to start, but it didn’t take long for the topic to change to baseball. Aiden told Nolan what the outcome of the game had been and how much he was responsible for it.

 

“Oh, bull. One guy doesn’t lose games. I bet there’s others who had a bad game.”

 

“Yeah,” Aiden responded, thinking of Muddy striking out three times in the game. “But none of them was the starting pitcher.”

 

“Well, quit feeling sorry for yourself and tell the M’s that walking the leadoff batter in the eighth isn’t a good idea.”

 

“So, how did you do?” Nolan told Aiden that he had pitched a three-hitter and the Scrappers had knocked off the South Centralia Broncos 6-1.

 

“So that gives you guys a 3-0 record,” Aiden noted. “That’s way better than a 1-2 record.”

 

“You guys are good,” Nolan said. “You’ll come back just fine.”

 

“Did you hear how Winton did?”

 

“Yep. I just got a text from our buddy Landon. You should be getting one too. Anyhow, they lost to Kentburg, 6-4.”

 

“Grrr, I hate Kentburg, especially when they beat the team our foaming buddy plays on.”

 

“Well, here’s hoping they lose on Thursday, too, since you guys play them. Who’s starting for you guys?”

 

“Scott,” Aiden answered.

 

“The Travelers don’t have a chance.”

 

They ended the conversation with Nolan getting Aiden’s assurance he would jerk off with him the next day. Aiden saw that Landon’s text had come in and he opened it, pleased to see a picture of the 4449 as well as the text.

 

After an exchange of texts, Aiden swore to himself that he would ignore his phone and take in the ninth inning of the Mariner game. But when Marty hit a two-run double with one out to make the score 7-2, Aiden felt worn out and decided to leave the game and head for bed. He gave Phil a hug and headed upstairs where Larry was busy correcting papers in his office. He gave his pop a hug, pleased that his fathers were no longer totally against hugging him when he was naked.

 

When he finished washing and brushing, he got down on his knees next to the bed and said his gratitude prayer for the first time in a couple of weeks. He was surprised how good it felt. Maybe Mac is right, Aiden thought. Maybe I do need to go to a Fourth Dimension meeting. I’ve been forgetting to do the things that help me feel good. Well, maybe next week, he thought as he gathered up Horace and fell into a deep sleep.

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

 

Even though he had no baseball, Aiden made up his mind early he would not go to the Fourth Dimension meeting that evening. This was the only day all week he had nothing scheduled and he decided he was going to spend the time at home. He sat next to Kalie on the bus ride home. “I’m sorry for being an asswaffle on Monday morning,” Aiden told her as the bus pulled away from the school.

 

“Well, other than the fact that you were bitchy with me on Monday and then pretty much didn’t talk to me the last couple of days, I never would have noticed,” Kalie said curtly.

 

“I don’t blame you for being mad,” said quietly.

 

“Who said I was mad?” Kalie leaned across Aiden and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips, eliciting some ooohhhs from the two sixth grade girls in the seats across the aisle. “That’s for apologizing. You’re one of the few boys in that whole school who not only knows when he’s being an asswaffle, but then apologizes for it. In fact, I only know one other one.”

 

“Gordy?”

 

“Yep. And that’s why I love you both. And even though you’re not my boyfriend, I really want to do it with you this summer.”

 

“But not before you do it with Gordy,” Aiden stated. The way he saw it he was safe saying that since he was confident that Gordy, for all the talk about the upcoming little camping trip and what would be happening in the tents, would probably not fuck Kalie until their high school graduation night.

 

“All I gotta say is what I keep saying. You never know. Just like you’ll never know when I’m gonna grope you on the bus again or give you an even juicier kiss.”

 

“Well, I know it won’t be today, because we’re almost at my house.” Aiden picked his backpack up off the floor. “Cya tomorrow.”

 

He said his goodbye to Mrs. Emerson and zipped into his house. His grandparents’ car and two construction vans were parked in the garage. “Grandma, I’m home!” he called out. He knew his Grandpa Al wasn’t going to be there because he spent the day at the high school observing his son teach. It was the first time he had ever spent time in Larry’s classroom. He ended up doing more than observing as Larry put him to work helping students. Since the class was his basic math class, Larry figured his dad couldn’t screw things up too much since he was good in math.

 

Aiden checked on how the remodeling was going and noted that a temporary scaffold had been erected and the balcony looked about halfway finished. As for the interior, the new flooring was laid, the new ceiling was finished, and the sheetrock was up and in the process of being painted. He was amazed how fast things were going, but there were four guys working on one bedroom. Plus, two of the four had played baseball for his pop and were motivated to do their best work.

 

“What do you think, Aiden, is it going to be livable?” Andrew Martin asked. Andrew had played varsity baseball his junior and senior years at Mayfield High. He pitched and played outfield.

 

“I’m ready for it,” Aiden grinned. “I can’t believe you guys did all this work so quickly.”

 

“Your dad was promised that we could do it unless we got heavy rains which could slow down the work on the balcony. This morning’s drizzle doesn’t count because that was next to nothing. The only thing we can’t do in that weather is put the finish on the wood.”

 

Aiden did his homework and then helped his Grandma in the kitchen. She was surprised how adept her grandson was at being an assistant. Aiden told her he often made breakfast on weekends, even when he had company. He didn’t tell her about the whole naked chef thing, however.

 

After dinner Aiden played Cribbage with his Grandpa Al, losing two out of three games. Then he and his grandparents, along with Larry, played a game of Scrabble. Phil stood behind Larry and kibbitzed. Grandma Jen ended up winning the game. Aiden was glad he had stayed home. This was the most fun he’d had with his grandparents in a long time.

 

That night he and Nolan had their computer sex. The fantasy for their jerkoffs was Cal Loggins, the Clark Pass pitcher, and Landon overnighting with them with all of them trading multiple blow jobs.

 

“Are you feeling better about things?” Nolan asked after they enjoyed their orgasms.

 

“Yeah, now that I can see that what’s in the drawings is gonna be even better than the drawings show, I’m okay with not being able to use my room. I also understand now that I have been a total dork about it all.”

 

“I think asswaffle might describe it better,” Nolan offered.

 

“Yeah, that’s what I told Kalie today. I apologized for being an asswaffle.”

 

“Hmmm, I think I take back what I said.”

 

“Why? Do you think I was worse?”

 

“No, I think you were better, because real asswaffles never apologize for being asswaffles.”

 

Aiden agreed and the boyfriends logged out and headed to their own beds.

 

Once again Aiden wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed the night before a game and once again he felt restless, and unable to focus. He knew he was being stupid. This summer he would be playing in a tournament in California, and he certainly wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed then. He had slept in other beds and in other houses before games and couldn’t work out why he couldn’t get it together for the second time in three nights.

 

“So why is this different, Horace?” he asked his stuffed donkey. “Why can’t I get focused? I’m glad I’m not pitching tomorrow, or I’d be totally fucked up.”

 

Aiden was angry with himself for being stupid and tossed and turned until finally falling into a restless sleep with thoughts of Nolan holding him tightly.

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

 

Aiden was pleased with himself for not being cranky during breakfast or on the bus ride to school. He felt almost normal, although that wasn’t necessarily a good thing since it was a game day and he wanted to start feeling zoned in. He wasn’t even sure if he was looking forward to the game, although he was looking forward to seeing Landon at the game.

 

At lunch he sat at the baseball table with Mason, Miles, Gordy, Grant, and Lance. The five of them were excited about playing so soon after their Tuesday loss. They were happy they could put that behind them in a hurry and win a game. Their bubbly excitement got in the way of Aiden’s attempts to focus. He didn’t take part in their chatter and quietly focused on his lunch.

 

“What’s eating Aiden?” Mason asked Gordy after they’d finished eating and left the lunchroom. Miles was following along trying to get a line on the conversation.

 

“He’s upset because he can’t sleep in his own bedroom at home,” Gordy answered.

 

“I thought his room was getting a big remodel.”

 

“That’s why he can’t sleep in his own room, because his room has been all torn apart.”

 

“How long is this going to last?”

 

Gordy shrugged. “I think he’ll be able to sleep in his room tomorrow night and everything will be totally finished by Monday or Tuesday.”

 

“I don’t get it. I mean when he told us he was going to get his room all remodeled and showed us the drawings he was all gaga about it. Now it’s like it’s the worst thing to happen in his life,” Mason said.

 

“Nah, that’s his not having any pubic hair yet,” Miles quipped.

 

“That doesn’t have him half as weirded out as this bedroom business. It’s hurting all of us because he hasn’t been playing like Aiden. Plus, he hasn’t been acting like Aiden, which gets us all going. I mean, he’s like one of the leaders on the team.”

 

“I agree totally with Mason,” Miles said.

 

“You guys are telling me stuff everybody knows. But nobody knows how to fix it,” Gordy said. “He’s my best friend and I can’t figure out what’s going on with him.”

 

“Maybe it’s time to have a team meeting and tell him what we think,” Mason suggested.

 

“Let’s see what happens today and Saturday. If he still isn’t normal after sleeping in his room, then, yeah, we’ll need a team meeting with him big time.”

 

As Aiden sat in fifth period math trying to concentrate on Mrs. Streit’s lesson, he had to fight the strange thoughts working through his mind. One thought that he dwelled on was about how to deal with feeling out of sorts like he had all through lunch. He wondered if that was the reason some kids drank alcohol, to numb the bad feeling. For a moment he wished there was alcohol in his house so he could find out if that was true. Then the thought struck him that maybe he should have gone to the Fourth Dimension meeting the night before, or at least called Sammy. He stared hard at the screen where Mrs. Streit was writing an equation hoping that math would take his mind off every bad thought that was in it.

 

Aiden perked up some on the bus ride home from school. He enjoyed the welcoming hug he received from Grandma Jen after he entered the house. The only negative in his mind was that with a houseful of people he couldn’t get naked. Before getting to what little homework he had, he checked on how the construction was coming along.

 

Owen Cutler, the project supervisor, greeted Aiden when he opened the door and peeked into the room. “Come on in and check out the deck. Today’s morning drizzle kept us from applying the finish, but the forecast is for dry weather from now until early next week. We should have the finish on tomorrow.”

 

“When can I sleep in it?” Aiden asked.

 

“Well, as you can no doubt smell, we painted the interior today. We’ll leave the door and the windows open overnight to air the room out. Other than the finish work on the deck and adding the molding where the wall meets the floor, plus performing a few final touches on Monday, we’re done. You should be good to start sleeping in it tomorrow night.”

 

“Awesome. Thanks for getting everything done on time.”

 

“Your dads, the coaches, wouldn’t have it any other way,” Owen chuckled.

 

Aiden thanked Owen and his workers and headed to his room to change into a tee and lounge pants so he could be comfortable. He would be putting his uniform on in a couple of hours. If everything went like Owen said, he would be sleeping in his own bed the night before Saturday’s game.

 

Aiden headed downstairs to work on his math homework at the kitchen table since he didn’t have his desk to work on. Math was the only homework he had.

 

Before sitting at the table, Aiden poked his head into the kitchen. “Something sure smells good, Grandma.”

 

“Chicken and dumplings,” Grandma Jen answered. “Something ready for you to eat in about a half hour and something I can warm up for your dads a bit later.”

 

“I should be back in my room tomorrow.”

 

“Well, that is great news.” Jennifer knew a lot of Aiden’s moodiness had to do with his having to sleep in the guest room on game nights. While she didn’t understand why that had the effect it did, having raised Aiden’s father she knew that trying to figure out the thinking of a pubescent boy wasn’t always easy—if it ever was.

 

<Mayfield East Lake Baseball Field>

 

East Lake Park had a lighted baseball field that had a skin infield allowing teams at any level to use it. When Larry pulled into the parking lot, Aiden was pleased to see that Landon had arrived early, giving him a chance to talk to him.

 

“Are we allowed to talk to each other before a game?” Landon asked.

 

“Why can’t we?” Aiden asked.

 

“Because we’re bitter enemies ready to fight to the death.”

 

“It’s just a baseball game, Landon.”

 

“And I was just joking. I think it’s cool I’m playing somebody I know. Are you starting?”

 

“At second base,” Aiden answered.

 

“Me too, only I’ll be in left field.”

 

“Well, I hope you have an awesome game as long as your team doesn’t win,” Aiden grinned.

 

“Same with you. Now I better join my teammates.”

Aiden and Landon split up and headed to their respective dugouts. Aiden was surprised when Trent and Mac approached him and said they wanted to talk to him. Aiden shrugged and joined them at the other end of the dugout.

 

Trent came right to the point. “Everybody is wondering what’s bugging you. You haven’t had your head in the baseball games and that’s not like you.”

 

“I just can’t get focused and into my zone,” Aiden said lamely.

 

“Maybe you should just come and play baseball,” Trent said. “Isn’t that what our coaches always say?”

 

“I guess. It’s what Mac told me Tuesday.”

 

“I told him to think less and just pitch,” Mac explained. “And to get his head out of his ass.”

 

“I’ll do my best,” Aiden said. “And I’ll be back to normal on Saturday after I get to sleep in my own bed.”

 

“That’s all we ask is that you try your best,” Trent said. “Mac and I just wanted you to know we’re concerned about you. The team needs you at your best.”

 

“Thanks for talking,” Aiden told them, although he wasn’t sure he meant it. “I guess we’d better warm up.”

 

The game against Winton was almost routine. Scott was on his game, throwing strikes, mixing his breaking stuff deftly with his hard fastball. It was a clinic in pitching, especially for that level of baseball. Aiden spent much of his time in the field admiring Scott’s craft. Aiden knew he could be as good or better than Scott if he could get his focus right.

 

After six innings, Scott had a four-hit shutout going, but had also thrown 79 pitches. The Yard Goats held a 6-0 lead and Coach Hallion could see no reason to have Scott come out to pitch in the seventh to face one or two batters. He had Lance come in to pitch. He would have loved to have Lance pitch to Lenny, but Lenny had substituted for Mac in the fourth inning and couldn’t re-enter. Lance gave up a double and a run scoring single, but the Goats walked off the field with 6-1 win, ending their two-game losing streak.

 

Aiden went one-for-four at the plate along with two putouts and two assists in the field. He felt good about his game—he had hit the ball hard twice (his second at bat was a line drive out to the third baseman) and made a good pivot on a double play. Trent, Mac, and Gordy took the time to give Aiden a pat on the back for his good performance, a gesture that Aiden often did for his teammates.

 

<Aiden>

 

That night, after dinner, Aiden received a phone call from Marty. It wasn’t unexpected since Marty often called when the Mariners had an off day. When asked how his week had gone, Aiden gave Marty an honest answer. He had learned long ago that he couldn’t fool his Big Bro by skirting the truth. “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter,” as Marty liked to put it.

 

“So, let me see if I have this straight,” Marty said after Aiden finished. “You pitched a shitty game on Tuesday because you had to sleep in the guest room since your room would be undergoing a total kick ass remodeling job, right?”

 

“No, not exactly. I couldn’t focus and get into my zone because I couldn’t sleep in my own bed,” Aiden replied. As soon as he finished, he knew that his reply sounded stupid.

 

“Did you happen to say your gratitude prayer before going to bed?”

 

“No, I forgot.”

 

“You forgot? You say your gratitude prayer every night, but on this night you just happened to forget. You never thought of maybe saying how grateful you were that your dads were spending the energy and money to give you an entirely new bedroom?”

 

“I don’t say my prayer most nights.” Aiden was sweating from the shame he felt. He knew he was letting Marty down. “I’m sorry I’m letting you down.”

 

“Quit feeding me a pile of horse shit,” Marty barked.

 

“I wasn’t feeding you anything. I’m really sorry I let…”

 

“STOP! Think, Sport, and think hard! Who is the person you’re letting down?”

 

“My Big Bro, Marty…”

 

“Since when is it your job to please me? Who is it you’re REALLY letting down by not saying your prayer and by getting your priorities mixed up?”

 

There was a long silence as Aiden wiped away some tears. “Me,” he finally whispered.

 

“Exactly. You let yourself down. And now, about those priorities. What is your primary goal when you play a game with your team?”

 

“To be in my zone and focused so I can help win the game?”

 

“It sounds like you’re not sure, and for good reason. Aiden, your job is to go out and do the best you can. Play hard, play smart, and play to win is the mantra. It doesn’t say play hard, play smart, play to win, and be in the right zone.

 

“Getting focused and being in a zone is an aid to doing your best, it’s not one of your goals,” Marty went on. “Some days the brain doesn’t click right for lots of reasons. They could be dumb ones like sleeping in a different room, but sometimes people have to deal with serious shit. In the end, no matter what the reason, the big three still take priority. No matter what, you can always do that. It’s all you have to concentrate on—the rest will follow. The key I hear in meetings is very simple—live in the now.”

 

“Thanks, Marty. That helps a lot. I mean it. I was thinking if I wasn’t in perfect zone, I couldn’t play good.”

 

“Just do the big three, live in the now, and the rest will follow if you give it a shot. Keep your mind in the present and the rest will follow.”

                  

Aiden hadn’t planned on telling his Big Bro about his thoughts in math class but decided telling him was the right thing to do. “Marty, when I was in math class today, I wondered if drinking would numb my brain so I wouldn’t be so worried about not getting focused.”

 

Aiden wondered what Marty’s response would be. He was prepared to hear Marty saying, “I totally understand where you’re coming from” to yelling at him for thinking stupid thoughts. The response he received wasn’t at all what he was expecting.

 

“Is Sammy still your sponsor?”

 

“I don’t know…I guess so.” Aiden was tired of giving Marty lame answers but he didn’t know what else to do other than hang up.

 

“I guess that means you haven’t talked to him for a while.”

 

“I keep forgetting to call him.” Fuck, another lame answer, Aiden thought.

 

“You know what, Sport, you sound just like a twelve-year-old.”

“That’s because I am a twelve-year-old, but I’m almost thirteen.”

 

“Well, Rich teaches middle school and says forgetting stuff is the national sport of middle school kids. He also says that since their heads are attached to their shoulders, they don’t forget those, and he teaches techniques to help them not forget everything else. My advice is that we end this call and you talk to your sponsor—like, NOW!”

 

Aiden didn’t really want to talk to Sammy, but he knew he was trapped. “Okay, and kick some Rays ass this weekend,” Aiden said. The Mariners were playing the Tampa Bay Rays at home over the weekend.

 

“Will do. Don’t forget, I love you, Sport.”

 

“I love you, too, Marty, and thanks.” On that note the call ended.

 

Marty put his phone down, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. He knew that during their conversation Aiden didn’t have to bring up the subject of his thoughts about alcohol but that he probably had done it as a way of seeking help. Marty had been there as a young teen - he was only too familiar with the position Aiden was in. He loved his Little Bro beyond words and found himself hoping his tough love talk would be taken to heart.

 

As soon as Marty disconnected, Aiden did what he was told and called Sammy. He told Sammy about his funk and how he thought about drinking that afternoon.

 

“Nothing wrong with crazy thoughts,” Sammy said. “It’s what you do about them that counts. I know you haven’t been to a meeting for a while. How does Saturday look?”

 

“We have a game at eleven, so it doesn't look good.”

 

“Yeah, I play Saturday too. So, how about my dad and I pick you up at eleven for the noon Sober Sunday Meeting in Centralia.”

 

“But that’s an adult meeting,” Aiden protested.

 

“We’ll protect you.”

 

“I wanted to get my room back in order on Sunday.”

 

“It will still be there when you get home.”

 

“You’re as mean as Marty.”

 

“I take that as a compliment,” Sammy chuckled. “I’ll see you at eleven on Sunday.” Sammy disconnected before Aiden could come up with another objection.

 

Aiden called Nolan next and the two talked baseball. Aiden told Nolan how he felt better once he knew he would be in his own bed on Friday. “I had a good game and we won, so we’re 2-2 now.”

 

“I had a crappy game and we lost 5-4 to Tenino. I played left field and misplayed a fly ball and went one-for-three with a walk at the plate. And before you say that at least I got a hit, my hit was a swinging bunt that ended up in no man’s land between the pitcher and the third baseman. So that loss makes us 3-1. But congrats to you on your win.”

 

They talked some more, and Aiden told Nolan about having to go to a meeting with Sammy on Sunday.

 

“What do you mean you HAVE to go?” Nolan asked.

 

“He didn’t give me a chance to say no.”

 

“It sounds like he knows you pretty well.”

 

“You’re no help at all, Bear.”

 

“How about if I help you get off? That would make me a huge help.”

 

Aiden was relieved to be steering away from serious stuff. “What’s our fantasy going to be?”

 

“After the meeting you guys pick me up and take me to Sammy’s house. We go to his bedroom where he fucks us both.”

 

“At the same time?”

 

“You are a silly boy, Sweet Cakes.”

 

The boyfriends came within seconds of each other, shooting their loads over themselves. After they finished, Aiden reminded Nolan of his big naturist party on the tenth. School would be out, and there were no games scheduled in the Southwest Washington thirteen and under League. The idea was to celebrate the end of school, the official opening of the Miller pool, and Aiden’s remodeled bedroom all in one big party.

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

 

<Mac and Trent>

 

Jackson wasn’t surprised when he came home from school to find Mac and Trent making out on the couch. Trent’s tongue looked to be buried in Mac’s tonsils and Mac’s left hand was buried inside Trent’s underpants. They were wearing t-shirts and their jeans were pulled down to their ankles.  

 

“Wow, for two straight boys, you guys sure look gay,” Jackson observed. “I thought you guys had a no kissing rule.”

 

“We decided the practice couldn’t hurt. Wait until I get my tongue down Diane’s throat,” Trent said. “That’s when all this will pay off.”

 

“Oh, really? So, what you’re telling me, bro, is that the orgasms you two enjoy together don’t mean diddly shit,” Jackson told his younger brother.

 

“It’s a side benefit to take care of the horniness that builds up while we practice.”

 

“I gotta say, you guys have your list of excuses for having sex together all laid out.”

 

“Give us a break, Jackoff,” Mac said. “We’re not in high school yet, so we should be able to enjoy getting off together.”

 

“Who the hell are you calling Jackoff?”

 

“You.”

 

Jackson gave Mac the finger and said, “Let’s see, Mac is catching tomorrow, and my brother is pitching, which means my brother gets to be the bottom tonight if Mac happens to be staying over. But my brother turns fourteen tomorrow, so doesn’t that count for something?”

 

“This is all about baseball, not birthdays. But I’m sure Mac will give me his ass as a late birthday present sometime before the end of June. And for us, the catcher has to top the pitcher the night before a game if we’re the battery,” Trent told his older brother.

 

“From what you tell me, Mac might want to fuck Aiden next time they’re the battery.”

 

“Dad said Lenny will be starting catcher for one game next week,” Trent said, “and if it’s the one Aiden is starting—well, Mac might want to let him and Lenny know what his role is before the start.”

 

“You guys are something else,” Jackson said. “I think you two might want to get decent before mom and dad get home from work. Trent’s underpants are WET with precum. What a horn dog.”

 

Mac and Trent knew that Jackson was right. They pulled up their jeans and straightened their t-shirts. “Before you ask, bro, the reason we still had our underpants on was so we could dress quickly if we needed to,” Trent said.

 

“That didn’t work when I came home.”

 

“That’s because you came through the front door and mom and dad always come through the garage door.”

 

“They ALMOST always do,” Jackson reminded his brother with a smirk.

 

Martha Hallion, as she often did, had prepared much of dinner the day before. It was a thick and hearty beef stew, with dinner rolls and a tossed salad and ice cream for dessert. With the coach, catcher, and starting pitcher of the next day’s Yard Goat game around the table, it was not surprising that the major topic of discussion during dinner was the game.

 

“I don’t know a lot about the Knights, except they hit the ball hard and have a couple of hard throwers,” James Hallion said, referring to the Washtucna team. “If they have a weakness, it’s pitching depth and defense.”

 

“That means they must be beatable,” Martha said.

 

“Mom, it’s baseball. Everybody is beatable,” Trent said.

 

“Only, some teams are more beatable than others,” Jackson said. “I checked the league website and they’ve scored 22 runs and given up only five in their four games.” James Hallion hated the league website—it was hard to keep anything secret.

 

“Yeah, but in one of those the score was only 2-1, and that was against Longview which has a 2-2 record like us,” Trent pointed out. “Like I said, everybody is beatable.”

 

“Plus, they haven’t seen anybody like Trent yet,” Mac said.

 

“I have a feeling you and my brother are going to be a tough combination to beat,” Jackson grinned.

 

After dinner they watched the Mariners defeat the Rays 3-1 before the boys retired to Jackson’s bedroom, stripped to their underwear, and chatted and played video games. Even though they were close to undressed they pointedly avoided sex talk until Jackson shut down his computer.

 

“Since you guys are leaving around nine in the morning, you might want to think about getting your asses into bed,” Jackson said.

 

“Yes, daddy,” Trent answered smarmily.

 

“And Trent knows what his catcher wants to do with his ass,” Mac reminded everyone.

 

The thirteen-year-olds grabbed their jeans and left for Trent’s room. Seventeen-year-old Jackson admired the asses on the scantily clad boys as they walked out the door. Not as nice as a girl’s, but still worth looking at, he thought. Jackson was amazed as to how quickly Trent and Mac had adjusted to being sex buddies. They had gone from trying to downplay what they were doing to being totally open about it and from eschewing kissing to wildly French kissing on the couch, not to mention in his bedroom between video games. They insisted they weren’t gay, but Jackson could see the relationship between the two ramp up like mad the past couple of weeks.

 

“Don’t forget, there’s only one bathroom up here, so grab your kit so we can take care of business before you take care of business,” Trent told Mac.

 

The two boys were soon naked in Trent’s bed and kissing madly. “Okay, enough kissing,” Trent said. “Fuck me like a good catcher should so we can get a good sleep and be ready for tomorrow’s game.”

 

Mac grabbed a tube of lube from Trent’s nightstand and lubed his cock and Trent’s ass like the two had been doing it for years. “Fuck me hard, Mac. Fuck my brains out so I’ll totally be your pitcher tonight.”

 

“And tomorrow,” Mac reminded him.

 

“Yeah, that too.”

 

Mac rammed his cock into Trent’s tight ass and went right at him. The two had done plenty of kissing to get ready since they ended up half-naked on the living room couch. Now they were just two young teens rutting with abandon.

 

“Oh yeah, oh yeah, ooooooohhhhhhhh FUCK yeah!” Trent moaned as loud as he dared. Trent jerked off hard as Mac pounded him, almost bouncing him off the bed. It didn’t take long for the two horny boys to cum, Trent clamped his lips tightly as he fired his cum over his belly seconds before Mac filled his ass with his own teen cum.

 

“Shit, that was good,” Trent rasped. “Almost makes me wish I was gay.”

 

“Yeah, it was boss. You almost wish you could get your ass fucked rather than fucking a cunt?” Mac asked.

 

“A girl can’t make my ass feel like this. But then, you’d need to grow a nice set of boobs to be real competition.”

 

The boys snuggled up together and fell asleep wondering how differently it would feel being snuggled up to a girl all night.

 

<Aiden>

 

Dinner that evening was at the Mayfield Café. “It’s kind of a step down from the Mayfield Inn,” Larry said, “but this is the real Mayfield, not a place on the highway run by outsiders.”

 

“You don’t need to apologize to us,” Jen said. “We’ve eaten here before, and I’m sure we’ll be eating here again. The food is good, downhome cooking.” That was high praise coming from Jennifer Sanders who considered herself a topnotch cook as well as food critic.

 

After dinner, Aiden changed to an old t-shirt and his pair of Mariner lounge pants and went back to work moving his things back to his room. He had done quite a bit of work before dinner, including making his bed. An hour after dinner, he was satisfied he had done what he could. His desk wouldn’t be reconnected to the wall until Monday, so he left his computer in the guest room. The contractors told him they would also reconnect his television. The only big job he had left was to set up his room railroad, but that would have to wait a few days.

 

He went downstairs and watched the last few innings of the Mariners’ 3-1 win over the Rays with his dads and his grandparents. Aiden then bid everyone goodnight.

 

“I’m gonna be in my own bed for the first time in almost a week,” Aiden let everyone know as he left the baseball watching room. He stripped naked, got on his knees and went right to his gratitude prayer. He pulled his covers over himself when he heard a knock on the door.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Your dad and your pop,” came Larry’s voice.

 

“Come in.”

 

Larry and Phil entered the room and Aiden turned on the lamp on his nightstand. Welcome to your new bedroom,” Phil grinned.

 

“Still some stuff to be done,” Aiden said, pointing to the desk.

 

“It’s good enough to sleep in,” Larry said. “Your dad and I wanted to relive old times and give you good night hugs to launch the new room.”

 

Aiden got out of bed and hugged both of his dads. He wasn’t the least bit phased about being naked in front of his dads, and neither were they.

 

“Thanks dads. I love you.”

 

“We love you, too, son. See you in the morning,” Phil said.

 

“Eight o’clock, right?”

 

“At the latest.”

 

After his dads closed the door, Aiden turned off the light, grabbed Horace and held him against his chest, and instantly fell to sleep.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

 

<Trent and Mac>

 

“Happy birthday, dude,” Mac told Trent as they woke to Trent’s alarm. “And, it’s really too bad you set the alarm as late as you could. I guess you won’t be enjoying my ass this morning.”

 

“Oh well, I’ll take a rain check,” Trent said.

 

“I’m sure you won’t let me forget,” Mac grinned. “Maybe at your pool birthday party since it’s going to be late, too.”

 

“Or maybe I can fuck you on your birthday,” Trent smirked. Mac turned fourteen on the nineteenth.

 

The boys rose from bed to shower together, dress in their uniform pants and t-shirts, and get a leisurely birthday breakfast. Since Trent’s dad was the coach, they would be leaving extra early for Washtucna.

 

<Aiden>

 

Aiden’s dads and grandparents had discussed eating breakfast out but decided not to in order to avoid a possible time squeeze. The drive from Mayfield to Washtucna would take around two and a half hours. The game was scheduled to start at one, Larry wanted to get on the road no later than nine. The teams in the Southwest Washington Thirteen and Under League played a sixteen-game league schedule. Two of those games matched Mountain Division teams against Columbia Division teams, which was essentially north versus south.

 

Grandpa Al and Grandma Jen arrived for breakfast just before eight. Aiden was up and showered and wearing his uniform pants and undershirt when they arrived. Larry was cooking up breakfast with Aiden’s help; pancakes, ham, and a fresh fruit plate. It was something quick and easy to fix as well as clean up after.

 

“Today is Trent’s birthday, so that should make the game extra fun for him,” Aiden said as they enjoyed their breakfast.

 

“What I want to know is how Trent can play when he turns fourteen today and you all play in a thirteen and under league?” Grandpa Al asked.

 

“The league rules are that a player can turn fourteen June first or later and still be eligible. Trent just made the deadline,” Larry answered. “Some leagues have a June 30 deadline and a few other arcane rules, but most follow the June first rule. This lets most players play summer ball with their middle school teammates.”

 

A sudden thought hit Aiden. “You said those are the league rules? What are the rules in the two tournaments we play in this summer?”

 

“The tournament rule is that a player is eligible to play as long he is following his league’s rules.”

 

After eating, Aiden went upstairs and put on his uniform shirt, baseball hat, and team jacket. Al and Jen had volunteered to do the cleanup and lock up the house. Aiden gave his grandparents loving hugs and the Miller clan was on the road by quarter after nine. They stopped to pick up Mason and Miles and were soon on Highway 12 heading west to meet Interstate 5. Mason’s mother would be riding with Miles’ parents, who planned to leave closer to ten.

 

The ride was as long as advertised, but the boys had video games to play and, following Aiden’s example, books to read. And if that failed, there was always the scenery to look at, especially after reaching Vancouver, where they would turn east and parallel the Columbia River on State Highway 14 for about 25 minutes. There were two rest areas between Centralia and Vancouver, and the boys welcomed the stop at each one. They arrived at the Washtucna ballfield at quarter to twelve, well ahead of the twelve fifteen time Coach Hallion had asked everyone to arrive by.

 

Eric arrived next with Noah, who had a rare weekend day off, and Kevin who, like Eric, helped coach when he could. Noah was excited to have the opportunity to watch the Mayfield boys play baseball for the first time that year.

 

Coach Hallion had arrived fifteen minutes before with Martha, Trent, Mac, and Jackson. Everyone was at the field by the twelve-fifteen meeting time.

The Yard Goats were soon warming up, shooting glances at the home players. It didn’t escape any of them that overall, the boys on the Knights were bigger than those on the Goats.

 

When the first inning ended, two things were apparent: Dansby Williams was one of the hardest throwing pitchers the Goats had seen all season, including their time on the Titans playing middle school ball, and Trent Hallion looked ready to match him pitch for pitch.

 

The game was scoreless through the first four innings. Dansby had a no-hitter going, striking out seven batters. He had allowed only two baserunners; one via a walk and the other was hit by a pitch. The Goats did not get a baserunner past first base. Trent had allowed two hits while walking one and striking out six. The walk was in the third inning and the baserunner made it to third on a base hit to right, giving the Knights runners on the corners with only one out.

 

Trent went ahead one-and-two to the next batter when Mac asked the umpire for a timeout and trotted out to the mound. “Okay, birthday boy, you were my bottom last night, now you get to make this asshole your bottom. He swung at everything his first time up, so don’t fuck with him, just hit my target—outside corner fastball up in the zone. Fuck him hard with the high heat.”

 

Trent wondered if any other pitcher in the state, let alone the league, ever got a similar pep talk from his catcher. He proceeded to place his best fastball right where Mac asked for it. As Mac predicted, the batter swung wildly and missed for the second out. The next batter grounded out to Scott at third for the third out.

 

“I wonder what Mac said to Trent during his mound visit,” Larry said to Noah. “It looked like he was reading him out for some reason.”

 

“Come on, Coach, you know Kevin has been working with Mac on his catching,” Noah responded, “and that probably incudes Talking to Pitchers 101. I know that some of the mound conferences Kevin and Eric had back in the day got pretty racy. I have a feeling that visit did, too.”

 

“Whatever it was, it worked. Mac didn’t have to move his glove a fraction of an inch.” Larry knew that if Mac kept maturing as a catcher the way he had this season, he was going to be a first-rate catcher before his senior year in high school.

 

In the top of the fifth things quickly got out of hand for the Knights. Mason, who was pinch hitting, led off the inning with what looked like a routine ground ball to shortstop. But the shortstop, who lacked the extra level of quickness a top shortstop needs, had to reach for the ball and ended up bobbling it when he tried to throw it before he had control of it. The error placed Mason at first. Mac was the next hitter and he got hit on his left thigh with a 1-1 pitch, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. A single by Max scored Mason. That was followed by a routine fly out to left by Riley. Gordy then lofted a routine fly of his own, which was coming down between the center and right fielders, which the center fielder should have taken, but the right fielder called for. The center fielder pulled up and the right fielder stumbled when reaching for the ball which was slightly out of his reach and bounced off his glove. It was a routine fly that should have been caught.

 

Aiden came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Aiden’s mind was focused on the situation as he waited for his first pitch. Keep your mind on the present, he said to himself. Dansby was upset with how the inning had gone, figuring he should have been out of it without allowing a run. He had struck out Aiden his first time up and was ready to do it again. But Aiden had his focus back and was dialed in. Dansby threw him a strike on the outside corner, the same pitch he had struck Aiden out on previously. Aiden was ready for it and drilled an opposite field double deep into right that cleared the bases, and suddenly the Goats had a 4-0 lead over the Knights. Dansby, who was obviously flustered, then gave up a base hit to Scott, which scored Aiden, and the Washtucna coach came out to pull him. Trent then lined out to left, Muddy struck out, and the inning was over. The Goats had scored five runs in the inning.

 

The Goats scored two more runs in the sixth off the reliever. Trent pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout as the Goats beat the Knights 7-0 in their best played game of the season.

 

The Goat players gave Trent an extra congratulations for celebrating his birthday with one of his best starts of the year. “You were dominating dude,” Scott told him.

 

Trent looked directly at Mac and grinned. “It won’t be the last time I’ll be dominating this month.”

 

After the celebrating and hand shaking, Coach Hallion kept his postgame meeting short. Trent reminded his teammates of his birthday party a week from Wednesday. “And remember, the party is at my house and not at Aiden’s, so don’t forget your swim shorts.”

 

The ride back to Mayfield would be a long one, but a happy one after the big win. The coach reminded the players that practice would be at five-thirty at the middle school. “Hey, Coach, we’ve won two in a row without having a practice,” Max called out as the coach closed the meeting. “Maybe we should skip practice and try for three in a row.”

 

“In your dreams, Max,” Coach Hallion grinned. “See you on Monday.”

 

<Aiden and Nolan>

 

Aiden initiated the call with Nolan after enjoying a dinner of leftovers that Phil slapped together. Nolan wasn’t surprised that the Goats defeated Washtucna. He knew the Goats were better than they’d been playing, and it was just a matter of time before they got things together. What surprised him was the 7-0 score over a team that had been dominant its first four games. Aiden was pleased to learn that Nolan’s East Centralia team had defeated Harborview 4-1 on Harborview’s home field.

 

“There are only two undefeated teams left,” Nolan said. “Clark Pass and Monte.” Monte’s record didn’t surprise them, but Clark Pass did. They knew the Bucks would be good, but their 5-0 start was better than anybody, except maybe the Clark Pass players themselves, expected.

 

“And then there are the four teams that haven’t won a game yet,” Aiden said. “There is one in each division. Parkview is our rear end. And we don’t need to go through the others, since two of them haven’t entered in their scores yet. Besides, they can feel miserable without us.”

 

Aiden shifted into a change of topic. “Any news on a new house yet?” he asked.

 

“Dude, if I had news you’d hear it about half a second after I did. Nothing. Mom and dad are good at keeping secrets.”

 

“I think the word that describes them is secretive.”

 

“Well, Sweet Cakes, I can tell you that the word that describes you is sexy.”

 

“That’s weird.”

 

“Why?” Nolan asked.

 

“Because, Sugar Bear, the same word describes you.”

 

Nolan stood up and gave Aiden a close up of his five-and-a-half-inch erection. “I guess this is what you mean by sexy.”

 

“Exactly.” Aiden then displayed his erection. “Not as big as yours, but I heard you like it okay.”

 

“I like it more than okay. I can’t wait until Wednesday when I get to see it for real and touch it. I hope we get some alone time together.”

 

“I thought about waiting for the big party, but baseball keeps getting in the way. Wednesday works. Just the two of us won’t have as much trouble finding days to be alone together.” Aiden took a deep whiff of air. “It still has that new room smell.” Aiden hadn’t moved his desktop computer into his bedroom yet, but he was able to give Nolan glimpses of his room with his laptop camera.

 

“Who are we using for our fantasy tonight?”

 

“How about a foursome with you, me, Chase, and Dillon?”

 

“Dillon and not Logan?”

 

“This one is boyfriends with boyfriends,” Aiden grinned.

 

“Sounds good.”

 

The boyfriends did as good a job as they could of jerking off while watching each other and describing what they were doing with Chase and Dillon. About five minutes of watching each other’s hands slap their erections and they were moaning and shooting over themselves.

 

“I know one thing you and I can use as an excuse for some alone time,” Aiden said.

 

“That we want to have wild sex?”

 

“That would be true but it’s not what I was thinking. I was thinking we needed time to get my model railroad layout set up in my room.”

 

“I dunno. Too many people like that thing and will want to watch it operate,” Nolan pointed out.

 

“Well, whatever. We’ll see how it goes. Night, night, Sugar Bear. I love you so much.

 

“Night, night Sweet Cakes. I love you more.”

 

“Can’t happen,” Aiden grinned just before logging off.

 

Next: School’s Out